Turlock, Calif.-based Emanuel Medical Center announced Thursday it will shutter a local primary care clinic and its Patterson, Calif.-based sister clinic due to the inability to recruit a primary care physician, according to the Merced Sun-Star.
The Emanuel Family Practice and its sister clinic, which were opened to help improve access to primary care, will close May 8. The current physician on staff plans to leave in May to work closer to family. Over the past few years four other physicians have also left the clinic, according to the report.
The hospital plans to provide patients with a list of places that accept Medi-Cal and Medicare and a hotline with more information on comparable practices. The clinics' 14 other employees will receive severance packages. Some mid-level clinicians will be kept on for a limited time to transition patients with chronic illness, according to the report.
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