Two Maine Hospitals Cut Pay For Staff Amid Pandemic

Two hospitals in northern Maine are cutting pay for hospital staff, a day after the state was approved for federal disaster relief due to the coronavirus.

The hospitals say they're seeing a steep drop in revenue even as they're bracing for a surge of virus patients and that other health centers in the state are enacting similar cuts.

Doctors, registered nurse anesthetists and administrative staff at Houlton Regional Hospital in Houlton will see a 10% salary cut, as will regular staff — except for nurses and respiratory therapists — at Cary Medical Center in Caribou, the Bangor Daily News reports.

Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins is warning Maine small-business owners of a virus-related scam in which owners are being falsely told they need to pay a fee in order to apply for payroll relief loans through the new Keeping American Workers Paid and Employed Act.

As of Saturday, the state has confirmed more than 450 positive cases and 10 deaths from the virus.