Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, nearly 30,000 people ages 65 and up in Maine were living with Alzheimer’s in 2020. It is estimated that 35,000 Maine people aged 65 and older will be living with that disease by 2025.

Families across Maine are doing their best to care for loved ones who are living with dementia or other disability in the comfort of their own homes, but it sure isn’t easy.

This week, I announced a new initiative to give families access to important services so they can better support themselves and their loved ones.

Through my Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, approved by the Legislature, I am starting a pilot program. It’s called “Respite for ME” and it will provide grants of up to $2,000 to families who care for a loved one at home.

Through “Respite for ME”, family caregivers of people living with a disability, or Alzheimer’s Disease, or other related dementias can receive grants to help them access respite care for their loved ones. Caregivers can also access counseling and training, legal and financial guidance, and services to maintain their own health such as occupational and physical therapy.

To be eligible for these grants, in general, a caregiver must be an adult who is not otherwise receiving payment for the care provided. For more information about “Respite for ME”, contact your local Area Agency on Aging at 1-877-353-3771.

Respite for ME is just one way we are helping Maine people age comfortably in the communities they call home.

To help more Maine people become direct care providers, we also included $20 million in my Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan to support health care workforce training.

This includes the Caring for ME campaign to educate and encourage residents to become direct care providers such as home health aides serving older Maine people and people with disabilities. In addition, we’re providing scholarships and student loan relief to encourage more people to become long-term support workers and other health professionals.

My Administration will continue to do all we can to support Maine caregivers and their loved ones.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.

WHEREAS, the National School Lunch Program has served our nation admirably for 75 years through advanced practices and nutrition education; and

WHEREAS, the National School Lunch program is dedicated to the health and academic achievement of our nation’s children; and

WHEREAS, recent research shows students are receiving their healthiest meals at school, but there is evidence of continued need for nutrition education and awareness of the value of school nutrition programs; and

WHEREAS, the State of Maine, Office of Information Technology maintains a high priority on identifying, protecting and responding to cybersecurity threats to the State’s information systems and data that can have a significant impact on our individual and collective safety and privacy; and

Hello, this is Governor Janet Mills, and thank you for listening.

Three years ago, I unveiled our 10-year economic development plan. It was drafted and crafted with the input of business leaders and researchers, educators, and everyday Maine people from across the state, to build the economy our state will need to prosper in the coming decades.

That plan told us that Maine students need to have stronger computer science skills in order to compete in our changing economy.

Last week, I announced a new initiative that will make sure that Maine students have the skills they need to succeed.

Using federal funds, I’m sending a free mobile computer lab to all Maine public schools this fall. 

Every student in Maine public schools will be able to access real-world training in robotics, in programming, augmented and virtual reality, in coding, and hardware – skills that our employers are all looking for right now.

I’m also using some of those federal funds to pay for training for Maine’s teachers, so they can use computer skills in every classroom.

These mobile computer labs are just one way that my Administration is working hard to enhance computer science skills for Maine students.

Last year, my Administration utilized federal funding to integrate computer science into our free Pre-K through 12 online learning platform and we funded a grant program to help teachers expand their own understanding of computer sciences and how it can help them in the classrooms.

And this summer, I was very pleased to join all 50 governors on a bipartisan pledge to increase K-12 computer science education in all our states. Maine is already a national leader on this front, but there’s still more to do. 

My Administration will continue to ensure that Maine students have the skills, knowledge, and training they need to succeed. Whether they take up automotive repair, or welding, or research or teaching, or history or literature, they all need computer sciences to succeed now and in the future and to get the good paying jobs that are offered in our state.

This is Governor Janet Mills and thank you for listening.