ERIE, Ill. — Genesis Health Group, Erie Family Practice is set to close for good. This comes after Genesis sent patients a letter on Monday, informing them that the clinic will see patients for the last time on June 16.
In a statement, Genesis cited multiple reasons for the closure:
"Genesis Health Group, Erie clinic will close, effective June 16, 2023. Like all health care systems across the country, Genesis has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, escalating costs, and staff shortages that have caused unprecedented financial pressures.
"We must address these economic realities and realign resources, so we can continue to fulfill our mission to serve the health care needs in our communities. With rising costs outpacing reimbursement, we had to make the difficult decision on what services we provide and the locations of those services. We are able to continue care for all patients and will work closely with them to transfer their care to another location."
Genesis Health Group, Erie is the only health care facility in Erie. The closest medical clinic is roughly 30 miles away in the Quad Cities. The clinic serves Whiteside and Rock Island counties.
Patients of the clinic gathered together Thursday afternoon for a rally, urging Genesis to keep the clinic's doors open.
"I put together the rally in hopes and prayers to advocate for our nurse practitioner Ruth, and the facility and the staff. They have been phenomenal here for our community along with all the other rural communities in the area," Rally organizer, Teresa Keag said.
Ruth Fiedler-Eaton is the clinic's nurse practitioner.
"We love our Ruth. She is part of our family. My husband has passed away now, but before he passed away, he would only go to see Ruth," current patient Marsha Dail said. "There's just no way that we can get the health care that we need, that we want that we deserve. We really deserve to have good health care. And without her here, we'd have to go 70 or 80 miles. It'd be a good half hour even for urgent care."
Erie Mayor Marcia Smith joined Thursday afternoon's rally.
"This will be devastating for the community if we lose the medical clinic," Smith said. "There are so many people like myself that use it for their Medicare, physicals bloodwork and those type of things. I'm not sure that every one of the elderly will go to a medical clinic if they do have to go out of town.".
In a statement to News 8, Keag noted that if Genesis did not respond to Thursday's rally, they would host another one in front of the clinic in the coming days.
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