Hospital board votes to close Langley Clinic
October 14, 2010 · Updated 8:53 AM
COUPEVILLE — A unanimous vote by Whidbey General Hospital's board of commissioners Tuesday will likely end more than 50 years of medical care at the Langley Clinic.
Despite pleas from the public and Langley Mayor Paul Samuelson, the board opted to close the clinic primarily for financial reasons. But hospital officials also said the clinic doesn't fit in with the hospital's long-range plans of consolidation and a $50 million expansion project in Coupeville.
The Langley Clinic has been under the wing of Whidbey General for the past two years. In August, the group of doctors that operate the clinic, Primary Care Associates, recommended the board close the clinic and move its staff and resources to the hospital's Freeland facility.
Although the board's decision was final, there is still a chance Langley Clinic could reopen under private operation. Samuelson claimed he's been contacted by several independent doctors who have expressed an interest, but the building's owner and physicians from Primary Care Associates said such hopes are unrealistic.
Langley Clinic's last day open will be Nov. 30.
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