10 Beds Lost: Bangor Detox Center Shuts After $1.2M Shortfall

Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness told staff on Oct. 30 it will close its Cedar Road Detox Facility in Bangor after running a $1.2 million budget shortfall. The medically-assisted withdrawal program operates 10 beds and treats roughly 500 clients each year for opioid, alcohol and stimulant detox, serving both Indigenous and non-Indigenous patients, including those covered by MaineCare.

New admissions to the facility stopped Oct. 30, according to co-CEO Lisa Sockabasin. Current patients can stay until they are ready for discharge, and Sockabasin expects all beds empty by the end of the following week. The center costs $3 million a year to run and typically collects $1 million in state reimbursement. The organization planned to cover the remainder with federal grants and other revenue. "Up until this year, we've been able to find federal funding, as well as other funding, philanthropic and private donors, to meet that gap," Sockabasin said.

The Trump administration halted a swath of federal grants in early 2025, cutting off money that paid for more than half of the agency's operations, Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness said at the time. The organization later recovered some of those dollars, but Sockabasin said the process consumed time and staff resources and returned too little to keep the program running. Federal grant applications reopened earlier this year, and Sockabasin said demand "flooded the system" because many organizations had lost other funding. Each application takes more than 40 hours to compile, she said, and the group submitted 12 in one month, receiving some but not all of them.

On Oct. 30, the organization notified 25 employees of layoffs. That followed a round of 20 layoffs a month earlier. "It was hard for them," Sockabasin said. "They are people who truly believe, not just in their work and what they do every day, but they're the ones that know the harm that's going to be caused by not having these beds available to people." Sockabasin said the organization may have to consider further closures, including its recovery housing.

Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness serves the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, the Mi'kmaq Nation, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Indian Township, the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point, and the Penobscot Nation, across five communities. Its services include medication-assisted treatment, case management, a peer-run recovery center, housing support, HIV testing, and a home visiting program for Indigenous children and families.

Sockabasin expects the remaining patients to clear out by the end of the week following Oct. 30.