By CATHERINE DONNELLY
Wednesday evening, October 18, the Laguna Vista City Council meeting came to order. During the Open Forum, three audience members addressed the Council.
First, retired doctor Chet Davis of Laguna Vista (LV) explained how community clinics were a poor business model because they’re in the business of referrals, and the money flows outward to the specialists. As a clinic refers patients for other services, their patient count will decrease, and their funds will dwindle.
The second speaker was Donald Haven of LV. He stated that he was at the community meeting on October 7 regarding the closing of UGRTV Medical Clinic, where more than 90 citizens attended, regarding the impending closure of the city’s only clinic on December 1st. He stated that if the community had been given enough notice, the issue could have been resolved, and the clinic could’ve remained open. When the buzzer went off, he questioned whether that was his full three minutes, and he was asked to sit down and stop disrupting by Police Chief Tony Davis.
“The Chief of Police grabbed me and told me to sit down,” said Haven.
The third speaker, Nancy Ottoson from LV, explained how now that the clinic was closing, she had to go to Harlingen to get the same services, but it’s always crowded, and she had to wait 40 minutes for a simple blood draw. She also asked how the new EMS service could be a cost-saving to the citizens of LV. They used to get these same services from the volunteers. Her question remained unanswered as this was not an agenda item.
After the Open Forum, the September minutes were approved, and the City Manager gave her Financial Reports. Regarding item three, the closing of the UTRGV Medical Clinic, Mayor Michael Carter stated that after a five-year partnership, the clinic would close on December 1. He said that they lost $286,000 last year and that he was told that they’re not allowed to run in the negative. He further stated that the only way to keep the clinic open was for the city to cover their losses, which they were unprepared to do.
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