Experience and Maine's Future

Dr. Lisa Belisle and Dr. Jeff Barkin welcome Hannah Pingree, a lifelong Mainer, former Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, small business owner, and former director of the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. The conversation opens with her upbringing on North Haven, a small offshore island community, and how island life shaped her understanding of public service, community engagement, and resilience.

The discussion turns to health care across a rural and aging state, including the cost of coverage, the strain on families and providers, and the shortage of primary care. Pingree describes her thinking on a public insurance option, investment in primary care, maternity and reproductive care, and team-based models that draw on nurse practitioners, paramedics, community health workers, and trained doulas to reach underserved communities.

The hosts and their guest broaden the definition of health to include housing, education, climate and environmental change, mental health, and the effects of technology and social media on young people. Pingree reflects on community resilience programs, storm preparedness, broadband and connectivity gaps, and working across party lines, closing with her view of what a thriving, healthy Maine could look like in the years ahead.