Healthy Maine Talks

Jamie Dorr founded the Midcoast Youth Center in 2016 after a community tragedy. It's mission: unlock the inherent potential of every young person, while empowering them to thrive. In the last ten years, the center and adjoining skate park have become a safe haven for young people where they can be themselves, have fun, and ask for help if they need it. Jamie and her team embody what it means...

This episode was recorded in late January at the Maine Outdoor Economy Summit. Tune in to hear more about how access to outdoor recreation is one of the top reasons that people move to Maine, and how spending time outdoors is critical to improving overall health and well-being.  *This Healthy Maine Talks episode is supported by the New England Public Health Training Center*

Last month MPHA and AARP co-hosted another “Community Conversation on Health, Aging, and Resilience in Rural Maine” at the Aroostook Area Agency On Aging in Presque Isle. Folks shared what is top of mind for them when it comes to their health, their families and their communities.  *This Healthy Maine Talks episode is supported by the New England Public Health Training Center* This episode was edi...

Can you have a community center, cutting edge research institute, and working waterfront in the same area? The Quahog Bay Conservancy says yes, you can. The Harpswell Marine Institute will be a place where community, education, science and industry intersect. Check it out in 2027! This episode was edited by MPHA intern Caris Welsh.  *This Healthy Maine Talks episode is supported by the New England...

For this episode Matt interviews Adina Bercowicz, MPH, Founder and Executive Director of LymeTV. Matt and Adina discuss the surge in Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses in Maine, what folks can do to enjoy the outdoors safely this season, and policy solutions that would increase funding for research into tests and treatments for tick-borne illness. 

For this episode we dig into the concept of leadership with Leo Waterston, an Executive and Career Coach at Waterston Coaching & Coaching, LLC . Leo is also Board President of the Maine Public Health Association and has a wealth of experience leading and engaging in public health efforts in Maine. After the interview with Leo stay tuned for a quick conversation with one of the editors of the n...

Happy Earth Day!  For this episode of HMT Matt speaks with Keith Carson, former meteorologist turned Director of Environment and Science Communications at Maine Conservation Voters. Matt and Keith talk about how to effectively communicate about issues like climate change. As Keith says in the interview, it's important to meet folks where they're at, and sometimes that means the first goa...

On 4/30 MPHA and AARP co-hosted a “Community Conversation on Health, Aging, and Resilience in Rural Maine” at the Cobscook Institute in the Township of Trescott. About 15 folks showed up from the surrounding towns to share what’s top of mind for them when it comes to their own health and the well-being of their communities. Hear what some of them had to say in this episode of Healthy Maine Talks. ...

Happy National Public Health Week!  For this episode Matt speaks with University of New England Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Gwendolyn Mahon, M.Sc., Ph. D. about UNE's new Institute of Public and Planetary Health. We dig into the Institute's mission and how it's aiming to support students and have a positive impact in Maine and across the world.  We're...

For this episode of Healthy Maine Talks Matt interviews Carey S. Cadieux, PhD, RN, AHN-BC, RYT, FAAN. Dr. Cadieux is a subject matter expert in medical cannabis, an Associate Professor of Nursing at Binghamton University, and Past President of the American Cannabis Nurses Association.  Matt and Dr. Cadieux discuss pending legislation in Maine, LD 1847, that would implement contaminant testing and...

For this episode Matt takes you around the Maine State House during the Conservation + Wabanaki Alliance + Youth Lobby Day--a collective effort to show lawmakers that Mainers across generations and communities care deeply about climate action, land and water protection, and Wabanaki sovereignty. Here's more info about each of the groups Matt interviews in the episode: - Maine Farmland Trust ...

Recorded on Jan 7, this in person event featured four panelists who are working across the state to strengthen Maine's downtowns. Co-hosted and moderated by the Maine Development Foundation's Maine Downtown Center & MPHA, this discussion digs deep into the importance of social connection, and how to foster it through smart design, programming, and plain old scrappiness. Speakers: Lis...

For this episode, Matt speaks with Melanie Ferris, President-elect of the Board at the Minnesota Public Health Association about the public health repercussions of ICE operations in Minnesota, and our very own backyard here in Maine. 

Originally recorded in August 2025, this episode of Healthy Maine Talks features Henry Frank and Ethan Baker of LifeFlight of Maine , a nonprofit committed to ensuring that every person, in every community in Maine, has access to critical care and medical transport. Big thank you to MPHA's summer intern, Tara Sangal, for hosting and producing this episode! *This Healthy Maine Talks episode is...

For this episode Matt interviews Bruce King, Executive Director of Maine Boys to Men , an organization that works to empower boys and men to embrace and reimagine their own masculinity and build safer, stronger communities.  *This Healthy Maine Talks episode is supported by the New England Public Health Training Center*

For this episode Matt speaks with Lisa Sockabasin , MS, RN, Co-CEO, Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness. Lisa is a citizen of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Motahkomikuk, and has worked to build Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness into an incredible resource and support system for indigenous communities, and people all across Maine.  Check out Aunties on Air...And Some Uncles Too , a podcast co-ho...

For this episode, Matt explores Maine's outdoor recreation economy, a $3+ billion industry that helps get people outside, safeguard Maine's natural environment, and improve health. Check out Maine's 10 Year Outdoor Recreation Economy Roadmap here. Big thanks to the folks who contributed to this episode:  Jeff McCabe: Director, Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation, Department of Econom...

Welcome to our first "Healthy Maine Snapshot". Moving forward, we'll feature a monthly snapshot that's shorter than our typical episodes, highlights a health issue and gives practical tips for how to keep you, and your loved ones healthy and safe.  For this snapshot we discuss the importance of lung cancer screening with Nicole Heanssler, Associate Director of Cancer Center Par...

Welcome to the second installment of our special series in October around Mental Health Awareness Month. For this episode, Matt went up to Bremen, Maine to check out the Hearty Roots Campus for Mindful Adventure on the shores of Biscay Pond. Haley Bezon, Founder and Executive Director of Hearty Roots, shares the history of the group, it's mission to guide youth off the grid and into their hea...

Welcome to the first installment in our series honoring Mental Health Awareness Month in October. For this episode, Matt comes to you from Bangor ME at the Maine Council on Aging 's Change AGEnt Summit, where he speaks to Anna Guest, MCOA's Power in Aging Director, and Dr. Delvina Miremadi-Baldino, keynote speaker at the summit and Executive Director of Maine Youth Thriving. Delvina is a...

Welcome to another installment of our special series that takes a peak behind the curtain of public health in Maine, and highlights the positive impact that federal funding can have on our communities. For this episode, Matt chats with Melissa Fochesato, MPH--Director of Mid Coast Hospital Community Health at MaineHealth. 

In this episode of Healthy Maine Talks, Matt sits down with Monique Coombs, Director of Community Programs at Maine Coast Fishermen's Association. Monique is working to keep fishermen healthy and working waterfronts thriving well into the future. She digs into those efforts and more in the episode. Plus, she teaches Matt a new word: Solastalgia.  *This Healthy Maine Talks episode is supported...

Buckle up, this episode's a blast. A few months ago MPHA went to a Sea Dogs game (the minor league baseball team in Maine), for a member outing. It was a chance to connect with each other and just generally have a grand old time. We also took the opportunity to chat with people coming to the game (not just MPHA members). We asked them a simple question: What do you love about public health? T...

Heather Drake, MPH joins Healthy Maine Talks to highlight findings from the 2025 Maine Shared Community Health Needs Assessment. Heather serves as the Program Manager for the Maine Shared CHNA, which she describes as a menu of what's happening across the state that partners can use to improve health and well-being in their communities.  Check out the Maine Shared Community Health Needs Assess...

The latest installment of our special series on federal policy features Dr. Brian C. Castrucci, President and CEO of the de Beaumont Foundation . Brian and Matt dig into three areas: - A recent survey from the de Beaumont Foundation, " 100 Days In: Americans' Perceptions and Expectations About Health " that gauges peoples' views on health across the political spectrum. - Market...