Emily Bader

85 posts

Emily Bader is a health care and general assignment reporter for The Maine Monitor where she covers substance use, mental health and access to care.

She is particularly interested in exploring how these issues affect Mainers’ everyday lives, how communities are seeking solutions and in serving as a watchdog on decision-makers.

Prior to joining The Monitor, Emily was a reporter for three years at local Maine papers. She has earned recognition from the New England Newspaper & Press Association, Maine Public Health Association, National Newspaper Association Foundation and Maine Press Association. She is a member of Investigative Editors & Reporters and the Association of Health Care Journalists.

Contact Emily via email with questions, concerns or story ideas: emMEMONily themainemonitor org

Contact Emily via Signal: 207-370-8719

Language(s) Spoken: English

Overdose rates soar after incarceration. Can jails change that?

Some Maine jails are bolstering their re-entry planning, connecting prisoners with resources to prevent them from overdosing or getting arrested again. But it's an ongoing challenge.

ByEmily Bader

July 24, 2026

A corrections officer stands to the side in a doorway

The cost of treating addiction in Maine’s jails

The state’s 15 county jails spent an estimated $12.6 million on addiction and mental health treatment last year, often through a mix of grants and other temporary funding streams.

ByEmily Bader

July 23, 2026

Audrey Condon looks out a window in a dark room.

Her addiction started after a C-section. Her recovery began in jail

“If they can help you while you are in jail to get yourself set up for when you come out, that is the best thing that they can do for you.”

ByEmily Bader

July 22, 2026

two women sitting at desks in an office.

How two rural Maine jails are rethinking addiction treatment

Monthly shots to treat addiction are promising, but costly.

ByEmily Bader

July 21, 2026

Governor Janet Mills speaking while standing at a podium.

Building recovery connections in rural Maine

Gov. Janet Mills’ 8th annual Opioid Response Summit, held in Bangor on Thursday, explored strategies to help people affected by addiction.

ByEmily Bader

July 17, 2026

Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins sitting at a desk during a Senate hearing on Capitol Hill.

Angus King questions VA budget request

In Maine, the VA health system lost 258 full-time workers and made 111 new hires last year, a net loss of 57 percent, according to a Maine Monitor analysis of federal workforce data.

ByEmily Bader

May 22, 2026

Uptake of Maine’s new red flag law has been slow. But advocates aren’t worried

Just four red flag orders have been filed since the law went into effect on Feb. 21, while law enforcement has completed 86 yellow flag orders.

ByEmily Bader

April 24, 2026