Spectrum Generations, Central Maine’s Area Agency on Aging, provides community- based services through the Older Americans Act (OAA) Title III, parts B, C, E, and D. Spectrum Generations serves Kennebec, Somerset, Waldo, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc Counties as well as the towns of Brunswick and Harpswell. The mission of Spectrum Generations is to promote and advance the well-being and independence of older and disabled adults, with the support of their care partners, to live in their community of choice.

To best serve local communities, Spectrum Generations seeks proposals to subcontract Older Americans Act services with local providers. Those services include:

OAA Title IIIB

– Money Minders
– Community Center Activities for Older Adults
– Telephone Reassurance
– Adult Day Services
– In-home Supportive Services (chore, personal care, and homemaker

OAA Title IIIC

– Home Delivered Meals
– Congregate Dining
– Nutrition Counseling and Education

OAA Title IIID

– Health Promotion and Disease Prevention.

OAA Title IIIE

– Care Partner Support Groups and Training

Refer to Older Americans Act service definitions and reporting requirements for information on these services.

Single-year grant agreements will cover a period of one fiscal year, beginning October 1 and ending September 30. Providers must be familiar and compliant with rules and policy sections of the Office of Aging and Disability Services, Maine Nutrition Standards, the Older Americans Act, and standard terms and conditions required by Maine employment law and contracting guidelines.

Providers must also demonstrate the capacity to continue quality services in the case of delayed state payments or reduced award amounts due to state contractual amendments. Federal Funds through the Older Americans Act are often not received until January for contracts starting in October and typically include 2 to 3 amendments during the contract year. Award amounts are based on service type, service area, and units of service.

Any services provided by a subcontractor must fall within Spectrum Generations planning and service area listed above, though they need not cover the entire area. Providers must meet all requirements and submit all data prior to receiving payment. Providers may not means test or subcontract services.

Interested organizations must submit a Letter of Intent by June 23, 2025. Submissions will not be accepted after the closing date. Submissions should demonstrate the capacity to meet all requirements herein as well as the regulatory requirements from the sources listed above. Current subcontractors are not required to submit a letter of intent for those services currently under contract.

Connie Coggins, HealthReach President & CEO, is happy to commemorate an important milestone: in 2025, HealthReach Community Health Centers marks its 50th year of providing high-quality, affordable care to rural Maine. Founded in 1975, HealthReach’s mission continues to be serving the otherwise medically underserved areas of Central and Western Maine. HealthReach offers rural communities convenient healthcare close to home, including general primary and preventative, behavioral, substance use disorder, dental, and podiatric care services.

In 1975, when the local doctor in Bingham retired, the tightknit community pulled together and imagined a family medical practice where everyone felt welcome.

Working together, neighbors helped raise funds to renovate an old house, which they converted into a community health center. This is how the very first HealthReach clinic — Bingham Area Health Center — was formed!

Since its founding, HealthReach has gradually grown to now operate 12 community health centers across Maine, including one school-based health center, as well as integrated dental centers in two towns: Bingham and Strong.

HealthReach is a 501c3 nonprofit that offers patients high-quality care without high costs by putting patients before profits. Nearly 300 HealthReach staff serve 26,000 patients each year. The majority of the volunteer HealthReach Governing Board are patients of HealthReach. This model has led to steady success by building the voice of the patient into the organization’s strategy and priorities.

HealthReach proudly celebrates a half-century of patient-centered care while looking forward to the future!

Gosh it feels nice to have a protective and insulative layer of snow on the ground. We hope you have been staying safe and warm during these winter months.

This time of year, cozied up by our woodstoves or taking long walks through the woods, we begin to remember the cold season of trees and the transformations they, too, experience. Soon the Maples will run their sap. It’s this coming time of winter: cold nights and warming days, we’ll begin to prune our orchard trees. It’s nice to have some sun and warmth for this annual task, which takes place before winter ceases.

If you have any fruit trees that need tending, Galen & Ashton will begin serving our Central Maine community starting at the end of this month (February) – early April.

Please reach out to schedule a free estimate, or be in touch if Galen has pruned your trees before and they are in need of another haircut this winter. We’ll put you on the schedule!

Benefits of Fruit Tree Pruning According to FEDCO:

If you have any fruit trees that need tending, Galen & Ashton will begin serving the Central Maine community starting at the end of this month (February) – early April.

Once your fruit tree begins to bear you will want to prune annually.

Most pruning should be done in late winter or early spring.

Good pruning brings sunlight to all parts of your tree. Maximum sunlight encourages more and higher-quality fruit. Sunlight also encourages fruit buds to form for next year’s crop.

A well-pruned tree will produce larger fruit and will tend toward more annual bearing.

Good pruning discourages fungal diseases and promotes greater spray penetration.

There’s an old saying that a bird should be able to fly through your fruit tree.

You can call or text us at: 207-458-7283 or respond to this email: office@symmetreearborists.me.