New Brunswick·NewResidents of Campobello Island are facing a new hurdle to access health-care services after a clinic in Lubec, Maine, sent them a letter advising that non-urgent visits won’t be covered.Regional Medical Center at Lubec advises patients contract with New Brunswick is for urgent careSam Farley · CBC News · Posted: Dec 12, 2025 5:51 PM EST | Last Updated: 37 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 5 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Some Campobello Island residents use the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial International Bridge to cross into Lubec, Maine, for health care. (Allyson McCormack/CBC )Residents of Campobello Island are facing a new hurdle to access health-care services. Some people from the island, which is connected to mainland New Brunswick by ferry in the summer, cross a bridge into nearby Lubec, Maine, to access a health centre just minutes into the United States.The clinic, Regional Medical Center at Lubec, recently sent a notice to its Campobello patients, clarifying what is eligible to be covered under New Brunswick medicare.A copy of the letter, shared on social media by Campobello Mayor Harvey Matthews, said that non-urgent visits, such as scheduled appointments, will not be covered. It went on to say that acute visits for sudden or urgent health concerns will continue to be covered.In an interview, Matthews said this as his number 1 concern at the moment as mayor.Campobello Mayor Harvey Matthews said the announcement about coverage in Lubec is a major concern. (Allyson McCormack/CBC)“Because every little thing we lose is something we’ll never get back,” he said, describing the fight for services as a “never-ending battle.”Contract with province is for urgent careThe Lubec medical centre has had a contract with New Brunswick for years to cover urgent care for Canadians, according to chief financial officer Michelle Tuttle.She said there is no official change to coverage, but the centre is simply making patients aware of what can and cannot be covered under its agreement with the province.The health centre in Lubec told Campobello patients it’s going to be more strict about which types of visits will be covered by medicare. (Google Maps)For anything deemed primary care, Tuttle said the clinic will still try to fit in an appointment for Campobello residents.But the health centre isn’t reimbursed by the province for those visits, and would typically bill residents directly, which she admitted the clinic has been more “lax” about.Clinic open to providing more careThe centre has about 135 patients from Campobello, she said, and this year it’s owed about $135,000 by Canadians, which it has basically “written off,” Tuttle said.“With increased costs, we just can’t continue to write off that amount anymore,” she said.Tuttle said the New Brunswick government has already reached out and is in discussions with the health centre, which, she said, would be open to amending its contract to cover more care.She said she recognized access to health care on Campobello is challenging, and is something the centre is sensitive to, noting that a number of the staff are dual citizens.“They’re our neighbours and we coexist. We are willing to help them and do anything we can,��” Tuttle said.The notice that Campobello patients received said that the health centre has a sliding fee-discount application “to help patients manage potential costs.”‘Very serious matter’The island’s MLA, Progressive Conservative Kathy Bockus, rose in the legislature on Thursday to ask Health Minister John Dornan about the change.“This change has caused intense concern for residents of Campobello,” Bockus said.In response, Dornan said it was a “very serious matter” that he would look into. Health Minister John Dornan said in a statement that the department is in discussions with the health centre. (Chad Ingraham / CBC News)CBC News requested an interview with Dornan, but was sent an email statement attributed to him instead, which explained the province’s agreement with the health centre.”For some time, the centre has been providing additional services to New Brunswickers outside the scope of the agreement, such as non-urgent laboratory and radiology services that can be safely scheduled in New Brunswick,” Dornan wrote.”The change involves only those services that can be delivered and be provided by the Campobello Health Centre or the Charlotte County Hospital in a timely and safe manner, as per the existing agreement.”Dornan wrote that the province is “actively engaged” in discussions with the health centre.Patient worriedWayne Mallock has lived on Campobello his whole life, and went to the Lubec health centre regularly as a child. More recently, Mallock said he has received treatment at the clinic for Lyme disease he picked up from a tick bite.Without coverage for follow-up visits or tests in Lubec anymore, Mallock said he’s not sure what he will do, given the challenges of not only getting to the mainland but also finding a doctor.He said medicare is going to be paid for by Canada if Canadians see a Canadian doctor, “so what’s the difference if the doctor just happens to be in the neighbouring town?”Wayne Mallock lives on Campobello and has relied on getting health care in Maine. (Submitted by Wayne Mallock)People on Campobello “are not asking for special treatment,” Mallock said, but simply for access that people on the mainland might take for granted.“Living on Campobello … you’ve got to be a special kind of person, I guess, to deal with what gets thrown at you,” he said with a laugh.Seeks collaborative care clinicWhile Dornan did not directly answer a question about whether Campobello would get a collaborative care clinic, he wrote that the department is open to dialogue about “exploring options for health care on Campobello.”Matthews said he has been advocating for a collaborative care clinic to be brought to the island, but hasn’t gotten any commitment from the province yet.“All that happens in Campobello is lose, lose, lose. That’s how I feel, anyway,” Matthews said.“You know, we get a small win once in a while, but just the way it goes, I guess.”ABOUT THE AUTHORSam Farley is a Fredericton-based reporter at CBC New Brunswick. Originally from Boston, he is a journalism graduate of the University of King’s College in Halifax. He can be reached at sam.farley@cbc.ca
Campobello residents not covered for regular health care at nearby Maine clinic
