BARTLESVILLE, Okla. — Bartlesville’s Family Healthcare Clinic suddenly closed March 25.
“It was like a punch to the gut,” former employee Ashley Taylor said upon finding out the news.
KEY DATES
March 10: Leaders first announced plans to close the clinic.
April 3: Original target closure date.
March 25: Sudden, immediate closure, nine days ahead of schedule.
“We saw the people who needed it the most,” Taylor said.
2 News listened to a variety of perspectives on the issue, including Allison King's.
She and her husband both received care at the clinic.
“I have chronic back issues and he has diabetes,” King said.
Brittaney Gentry-Wood called the 2 News Oklahoma newsroom with the original tip for this story. She did an interview over Zoom.
“You know, a lot of people think we only saw the low-income portion, but that’s not true,” Gentry-Wood said, “We had a wide range of patients … you know we were a huge community resource.”
In the Facebook post announcing the immediate closure, leaders pointed to “ongoing financial challenges.”
“We also extend our sincere gratitude to our partners, donors and community supporters,” the statement said.
With accountabillity in mind, 2 News reached out to leaders, looking for more answers about the “ongoing financial challenges.” Attempts to reach clinic leaders failed.
No clinic in Bartlesville is known to provide the same kind of low-cost, high-quality care such as the Family Healthcare Clinic. King will especially miss it.
“It was really affordable for us and for them to have to close their doors it puts a real dent in a lot of things,” King said.
“It was a true gem. It took some incredible people to work there,” Taylor said, “We saw people who were not compliant, people who were at their worst and needed the best.”
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