Patients using six community health clinics run by the University of New England appear to have been left out of the loop, and in the lurch, on the impending closure of University Health Care services.
University officials have remained mostly silent on the reasons to close the clinics in Biddeford, Saco and Portland on Nov. 2. The university reached a memorandum of understanding on Aug. 14 with Southern Maine Medical Center in Biddeford that may lead to the continuation of some services provided by the clinic. But where this leaves patients is unknown at this point.
While staff learned in August about the closures, patients are only learning about the situation through media reports. Rose St. Onge of Saco saw her doctor Monday and was told nothing.
"I was there last night," St. Onge said. "They said zip. I'm ticked off. I finally found a doctor I like. I finally found a doctor my son likes. Some notice, other than in a newspaper story, would have been appreciated. You do want to be on a good rapport with your customers."
St. Onge and her 14-year-old son have been using University Health Care for the past three or four years. She would like to continue seeing her doctor in the future but is unsure if that will be possible.
"This is above and beyond. I have to shop for a new doctor now. My attitude is I want to wait and see. But I can't," she said.
University Health Care is a community service of the university and its College of Osteopathic Medicine, offering health care for patients of all ages in the six clinics and two student health centers. The university's statement indicates the student health centers on the Portland and Biddeford campuses will remain open but it is uncertain who will operate the student health centers.
The clinics are located on Beach Road in Biddeford, Forest Avenue in Portland and Main Street in Saco.
Calls to University Health Care clinics were referred to Director of Marketing and Communications Kathleen Taggersell, who did not answer questions after releasing the statement Tuesday afternoon. Medical Director Christopher Pezzullo was not in his office Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.
The only potential indication St. Onge noticed was when her doctor had reduced her office hours to two days a week recently but did not give a reason.
"Over the past few years, it has become clear that it is not feasible for UNE to continue to operate UHC in its current form," read a press statement released on Tuesday. Senior university officials were at a conference in Boothbay and could not be reached for comment on whether the decision was financially based.
"Our decision to cease operation of UHC in its current form did not come easily, and we certainly appreciate the impact of this announcement on UHC's 82 employees and the community we serve," the statement reads.
The talks between the university and Southern Maine Medical Center have centered on providing services once the clinics close and enhancing the existing relationship between the two entities.
"We have had a long relationship with UNE," Southern Maine Medical Center Vice President of Community Relations and Development Sue Hadiaris said. "We are both working as quickly as we can. We realize they have established a time constraint of Nov. 2. If we had a longer period of time, we could look at alternatives for providing each of their services."
Hadiaris said the review of University Health Care services has just begun. Hospital officials are reviewing each service to see if they fit within the hospital's mission and, more importantly, its resources.
"We do understand the uncertainties that are out there," she said. "We are mindful of the situation patients, physicians and other professional providers are in."
"While no decisions have been made, we are hopeful that some or many of the services will be offered under SMMC after Nov. 2," the statement reads. "It is early in the process and active discussions with SMMC are under way."
Hospital trustees are expected to decide Oct. 5 whether the center can take on some of the services being provided by the clinics.
"UNE and SMMC will keep current UHC providers and staff informed as soon as decisions are made," the statement reads. "We are hopeful that many of the service lines and employees will benefit from these discussions and that our educational programs will be enhanced, as well. As discussions proceed in the coming weeks, it is UNE's hope that we will be able to announce a continuation of some or all of the UHC services, through another model. UNE students will continue to gain valuable professional experiences at numerous outstanding clinical campuses and affiliates throughout the Northeast with whom we have partnered for many years."
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Article quoted from keepmecurrent.com:
(http://www.keepmecurrent.com/news/local/article_f7c0278e-9742-11de-ad7a-001cc4c03286.html)
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Jonathan Story has no official opinion about health care, reformed or otherwise. As a Republican he has never been sick himself or known anyone who was sick.
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