A spokesperson for the Alaska Regional clinic said staffing shortages led to the clinic’s closing.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - When she first heard the Alaska Regional Senior Health Clinic would be closing at the end of February, patient Jeanne Lutz was taken aback.
She didn’t answer a question about how many patients the clinic served but some estimates have put the number in the thousands. Many of those former patients are now searching for new primary doctors who will accept Medicare.Anchorage Neighborhood Health Center is one of the few places that is accepting new patients. CEO Lisa Aquino said they’ve been flooded with calls since people learned the Regional clinic was closing.
They’re also booking lots of first-time patients. Aquino said they have no plans to put a cap on how many new Medicare patients they’ll accept, although wait times for appointments will likely get longer. Another practice accepting new Medicare patients is Providence Medical Group Primary Care, which has three locations in Anchorage. A hospital spokesperson said wait times for new appointments to see a primary care doctor are now averaging about a month out. He said the practice is actively hiring new doctors to try and meet what he called “the enormous need in our community.”
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