Read the original oped by Dr. Thomas C. Hattan in The Sun Journal.
When Dr. Thomas Hattan, a longtime geriatrician and Army veteran, brought his elderly mother into his Maine home during the height of COVID-19, he knew she was one of the lucky ones. She had access to IV antibiotics, avoided the isolation plaguing nursing homes and survived both a dangerous infection and the coronavirus itself.
But not all Mainers were as fortunate.
In a powerful op-ed, Hattan — who has served Maine’s aging population for over 15 years — delivers a sobering warning: the decision to pull the U.S. out of the World Health Organization (WHO) endangers lives here at home, especially in a state like Maine, with the oldest population in the country.
“Global health is community health,” he writes — and for Maine, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
“Global health is community health.”
A State on the Frontlines of Vulnerability
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the median age in Maine is 45.1 years (compared to the national average of 38.9). Nearly 22% of the state’s population is over 65, a figure projected to grow rapidly over the next decade.
By 2030, one in four Mainers will be 65 or older. Rural counties like Piscataquis and Lincoln already see seniors making up more than 30% of their residents. That means more chronic illnesses, more caregivers under strain and more vulnerability to infectious diseases that thrive in communal settings like assisted living facilities.
Hattan sees the impact firsthand. When a contagious illness like influenza hits a nursing home, it doesn’t just endanger lives — it disrupts care systems and drains limited resources.
And now, diseases like avian flu are spreading across species, prompting Maine’s Department of Agriculture to raise its threat level from “Moderate” to “High.” In a state with thousands of small farms, seniors living in close proximity to agricultural activity and limited rural health infrastructure, the risk is more than theoretical.
Why WHO Matters — Here
To many Americans, WHO feels far away. For Dr. Hattan, he sees its work as urgently local.
WHO is the world’s early warning system, tracking new outbreaks and sharing real-time information that gives doctors, researchers and policymakers a crucial head start. It also coordinates the kind of global research that Mainers benefit from every day — from vaccines and diagnostic tools to studies on Alzheimer’s and dementia.
In fact, Maine has one of the highest rates of Alzheimer’s in the country, with more than 30,000 residents over 65 living with the disease. WHO-led research is a key part of how clinicians like Hattan stay informed and offer cutting-edge care to patients in rural clinics and long-term care homes.
“When we cut ties with WHO,” Hattan warns, “we cut ourselves off from knowledge, collaboration and preparation.”
“When we cut ties with WHO, we cut ourselves off from knowledge, collaboration and preparation.”
From Iraq to Lewiston: Health as National Security
Dr. Hattan’s views are shaped not only by his clinical experience, but his military service. As a physician in Iraq in 2007, he saw how healthcare, stability and security are intertwined. WHO embodies that connection, he argues, by acting as both a health organization and a peacekeeping force. It helps build trust, train health workers and strengthen diplomatic ties. Walking away from WHO undermines long-term U.S. interests.
A Call to Action for Maine’s Leaders
Hattan urges Maine’s elected officials — Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King and Rep. Jared Golden — to oppose any effort to permanently withdraw from WHO or defund it.
“Leaving WHO will have serious consequences for our state and our people,” he writes. “We cannot afford to walk away.”
For Maine — a state aging faster than any other, and facing real-time public health threats — global partnerships aren’t optional. They’re essential to keeping communities safe and seniors alive.
“Leaving WHO will have serious consequences for our state and our people. We cannot afford to walk away.”
We couldn’t agree more.