WATERVILLE -- The health-care industry takes center stage today as three of the largest providers in the state reveal the details of an agreement announced Wednesday.

"Memorandum of understanding" is the term given the agreement by MaineGeneral Health, Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems and MaineHealth in a prepared statement sent to media outlets.

MaineGeneral Health is the parent company of MaineGeneral Medical Center, which has campuses in Waterville and Augusta. Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems operates Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor and also is affiliated with Inland Hospital in Waterville.

MaineHealth has several member hospitals, including Maine Medical Center in Portland, the state's largest hospital.

All three health care providers declined to explain what the agreement involves, saying that they preferred to answer questions today at three separate news conferences scheduled at different times and locations across the state.

Mary Mayhew, a spokeswoman for the Maine Hospital Association, offered a general definition of a memorandum of understanding.

"In terms of the (memorandum of understanding), it tends to be more of a formal agreement that gets used from time to time for various purposes," Mayhew said.

The second of the three news conferences will be held at 11 a.m. in Dean Auditorium of MaineGeneral Medical Center's Thayer Campus in Waterville.

Scott B. Bullock, MaineGeneral's president and chief executive officer, will serve as moderator.

The first news conference is slated at 8:30 a.m. at Maine Medical Center's facility in Falmouth and the final one, scheduled for 1:30 p.m., is set for The Cianchette Building in Brewer.

Wednesday's announcement comes in the wake of years of big expansion and building plans by both MaineGeneral Health and Inland Hospital, including a proposal for a new $250 million consolidated MaineGeneral Health hospital, that have yet to materialize.

Most recently, MaineGeneral Health sought permission from the state for a $107 million expansion and upgrade of its Thayer campus.

But the state -- at least temporarily -- declined to give its blessing to the plan, prompting MaineGeneral to withdraw the application so that it could revise the proposal to address some of the state's concerns.

Inland Hospital, meanwhile, announced in 2005 a plan to build a $120 million hospital to replace its current Kennedy Memorial Drive medical center.

The hospital ultimately scrapped those plans after it was unable to convince MaineGeneral Health to join it in the venture.

Before Inland pursued the idea of a new hospital, MaineGeneral generated controversy with talk of consolidating its hospitals in Waterville and Augusta into one regional hospital. Sidney was one the locations mentioned for the proposed hospital.

But MaineGeneral's consolidation plan drew heat from the beginning, particularly in Waterville. A grassroots group of MaineGeneral physicians, nurses, support personnel and local residents organized rallies and marches in opposition to the move.

The MaineGeneral board eventually abandoned the plan, but a day later announced plans to build a $29 million cancer center in North Augusta. That facility is expected to open later this year.

Colin Hickey -- 861-9205

chickey@centralmaine.com