The decision to close McCurtain Memorial Urgent Care - Hochatown near Broken Bow, Okla., on April 28 has sparked confusion and controversy between local political and healthcare leaders.
The clinic, which was one of three owned by McCurtain Memorial Hospital in Idabel, Okla., shuttered after it had "struggled since its inception" and was mainly used by tourists visiting the town of Hochatown, which locals tend to avoid due to "extreme traffic congestion," Brian Whitfield, president and CEO of McCurtain Memorial Hospital, said in a statement shared with Becker's.
Mr. Whitfield said the clinic had operated at a loss since it opened. The hospital held an assessment of the clinic from late March to early April to see if it should remain open and made the decision to close in mid-April.
Nurse practitioners and other employees at the shuttered clinic have been moved to the hospital's clinic in Idabel, Okla.
"These decisions have allowed us to focus on the growing demand for more providers at our remaining two RHCs and also affords us an opportunity to grow," Mr. Whitfield said.
Hochatown Mayor Dian Jordan, PhD, said her team had not been provided with data to support the reason for a "sudden and permanent closing" of the clinic, which is a critical loss ahead of tourism season that can see 30,000 visitors on most summer weekends.
"We know locals utilized the clinic," Dr. Jordan said in a statement shared with Becker's. "Patients were not notified of the closing and have been unable to obtain their medical records from the facility. The doors were locked, and signage removed. No notice is posted on the facility for how to obtain medical records. The phone goes unanswered."
A 2% lodging tax passed by voters to build a new hospital was halted by town leadership in November 2022. The hospital plans to open a bi-weekly women's and children's clinic in DeQueen, Ark., and a monthly surgery clinic to drive hospital revenue and patients, Mr. Whitfield said.
Dr. Jordan called the decision to close the clinic in Oklahoma and open one in Arkansas a decision that "only the hospital can understand."
The town has started looking into alternative or emergency healthcare services for the community, Dr. Jordan said.