Comment on Ellsworth hospital will host public forum about vaccines, vaccinate for free

Hospital officials in Ellsworth have scheduled a community forum to provide the public with information about the effectiveness of vaccines in preventing the spread of disease. Dr. Carolyn Stwertka, a pediatrician at the hospital, said Friday that officials at the health care facility decided to schedule the forum after fielding many inquiries from patients in the wake of news stories about vaccine requirements in Maine — as lawmakers move toward approving a bill that would eliminate philosophical and religious exemptions to school vaccine requirements — and a recent nationwide surge in measles cases. “We have been getting a lot of questions,” Stwertka said.