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Maine Making Preparations For Flu Pandemic
POSTED: 7:41 am EST December 17, 2006
AUGUSTA, Maine -- If a flu pandemic strikes, Maine's 3,900 licensed hospital beds would not come close to meeting demand. The state's plan calls for using schools, armories, and hotel and motels for overflow patients.
As of this fall, the state and counties had completed draft plans while hospitals had just begun working on theirs. Dr. Dora Anne Mills of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention said the goal is to have all plans finalized in the new year.
An Associated Press survey has found wide differences in how far along states are on planning. There's also little consensus on the best policies.
Maine is among those that have not budgeted any state dollars so far, but Mills said the Maine CDC plans to request funds in the next budget.