The MaineHealth board of trustees voted on Thursday to close the Lincoln Hospital birthing center in Damariscotta, despite calls from politicians for a delay and a grassroots campaign urging the health system to keep the ward open. Richards said healthcare providers who work for Lincoln Hospital, including doctors at the hospital, supported efforts to keep the maternity ward open and offered solutions to the difficulties in attracting and retaining employees. AdvertisementRelated Lawsuit seeks to stop MaineHealth board vote on Lincoln Hospital birthing centerThe next closest hospitals with maternity wards are Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick and MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital in Rockport. Maternity services aside from delivery will continue at Lincoln Hospital, MaineHealth said. “This new model is designed to strengthen women’s health care for Lincoln County over the long term,” Cindy Wade, president of Lincoln Hospital, said in a statement.