Small business owners, the self-employed and others interested in the details of the new state-subsidized DirigoChoice health insurance plan can attend one of several informational forums in northern and eastern Maine during the week of October 12.

Enrollments in DirigoChoice will begin October 4. Benefits are expected to become effective in January 2005.

. Caribou, 9 a.m. Tuesday, October 12, at Northern Maine Development Commission Board Room, 11 W. Presque Isle Road.

. Houlton, 1 p.m. Tuesday, October 12, at Houlton Regional Hospital, Center for Community Health Education.

. Millinocket, 9 a.m. Wednesday, October 13, at BRIC Building.

. Lincoln, 2 p.m. Wednesday, October 13, at Region III Tech Center.

. Dover-Foxcroft, 9 a.m. Thursday, October 14, at Penquis Higher Education Center, 50 Mayo St.

. Greenville, 2 p.m. Thursday, October 14, at Trailside Restaurant, Lily Bay Road.

. Bangor, 9 a.m. Friday, October 15, at Clifton Eames Learning Center, Bangor Savings Bank, 203 Maine Ave.

. Newport, 2 p.m. Friday, October 15, at Heart of Maine RC&D Building.

The forums are presented free of charge by the Maine Small Business Alliance through a grant from the Maine Health Access Foundation. Advance registration is requested for planning purposes.

To register for the Caribou and Houlton forums, phone Northern Maine Development Commission at (800) 427-8736 or e-mail Judy Dinsmore at jdinsmore@nmdc.org.

To register for the Millinocket, Lincoln, Dover-Foxcroft, Greenville, Bangor or Newport events, call the Maine Small Business Alliance 622-6500 or e-mail Executive Director Deborah Cook at dcook@msb-alliance.org.