Joe Lawlor

Staff Writer

Joe Lawlor writes about health and human services for the Press Herald. A 24-year newspaper veteran, Lawlor has worked in Ohio, Michigan and Virginia before relocating to Maine in 2013 to join the Press Herald. He is still considered “from away” but since then, he has learned what a “dooryard” is, eaten “whoopie pies” drank Moxie and boiled some “lobstahs.” The stories he enjoys most are when he learns something and meeting inspiring people. He lives in South Portland - aka “SoPo” - with his wife, Melanie, and two school-age children.

Latest

Published
February 20, 2015

Maine officials warn parents against sharing bed with infants

The five deaths in the past seven weeks are half of what Maine typically sees in a year, the state medical examiner says.
Published
February 20, 2015

Federal government offers more time to buy health plans and avoid IRS penalties

The government also announced today that it had sent out erroneous tax information to 800,000 people.
Published
February 15, 2015

Affordable Care Act enrollment puts Maine in rare company

The Telegram’s analysis of federal data shows that – with concentrations of self-employed residents, mostly on the coast – the state ranks fourth nationally in its embrace of subsidized health insurance.
Published
February 13, 2015

For needy in Maine with dental concerns, reasons to smile

Portland-based Community Dental has ambitious plans to expand access to oral health care for children on MaineCare and for uninsured adults.
Published
February 8, 2015

Community health clinics struggle with impact of MaineCare cuts

Patients who lost coverage are showing up at clinics across Maine, and the cost of treating them with little or no reimbursement is creating financial problems.
Published
February 6, 2015

Maine CDC reposts ad for expert on diseases

The agency hopes to hire a state epidemiologist within the next three to four months, its director says.
Published
February 6, 2015

Measles in 14 states, red flags in Maine

With the illness ‘just an airplane ride away,’ health officials push for vaccinations and legislators try to limit parents from opting out of them.
Published
February 5, 2015

LePage says dropping methadone coverage is sound, but doctors disagree

Medical authorities and recovering addicts say science is on their side: Some users need methadone.
Published
February 3, 2015

Keep health care law subsidies, Maine urges U.S. Supreme Court

Despite shunning the Medicaid expansion option, the state defends an integral part of the Affordable Care Act in a case that may affect coverage for millions.
Published
February 2, 2015

For Portland’s Pats fans, a super moment frozen in time

Hardcore fans perching on outdoor snow benches at The Thirsty Pig are rewarded with a dramatic Patriots victory in the final seconds.