Central Maine Healthcare to Close Gray Clinic, Move Providers to Topsham

Central Maine Healthcare notified patients on January 6 that its family health center in Gray will close on March 6, 2026. The notice says Dr. Amy Bergeron and Dr. Manju Hilary will relocate to Topsham Family Medicine and will continue to see their existing patients at that site after the closure. A third provider at the Gray practice, Dr. Ben Slocum, is leaving the practice; his patients were told they will be assigned to other providers.

For many patients, the announced moves will change how and where they receive primary care. Topsham Family Medicine is located in Sagadahoc County; while the relocation maintains continuity for patients who can travel there, the closure removes a local clinic option for people living in and near Gray. That will be particularly disruptive for people with limited transportation, older adults with chronic medical needs, and low-income patients who face barriers accessing care outside their immediate communities.

Central Maine Healthcare did not provide an explanation for the closure when asked. The patient notice included contact information for anyone needing help transitioning care; patients were directed to call Central Maine Healthcare for assistance and reassignment to new providers.

This clinic shutdown is part of a larger pattern affecting Maine’s health system. Across the state, ongoing consolidation among hospital systems and persistent provider shortages have led to clinic closures, service shifts, and reconfigured access in rural and small-town communities. Those trends can increase travel distances to care, lengthen appointment wait times, and strain remaining primary care practices that absorb reassigned patients.

The local public health implications are immediate. Continuity of care is a key determinant of outcomes for chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and mental health disorders. Interruptions in established patient-provider relationships risk gaps in medication management, preventive care, and referral pathways. At the community level, clinic closures can also reduce the informal support and coordination that smaller practices provide to vulnerable residents.

Policymakers and health system leaders face a choice about how to mitigate these impacts. Options include bolstering primary care workforce recruitment and retention, expanding transportation and telehealth supports, and directing resources to underserved areas to prevent further erosion of local access. For now, patients affected by the Gray closure should contact Central Maine Healthcare as directed in the notice to arrange follow-up care and learn which providers will accept reassigned patients.