KINGSVILLE, Tx — A new privately owned clinic is stepping in to fill the health care gap in Kingsville after a WellMed clinic closed in March.
Elizondo Medical Group, a longtime partner in the WellMed network, opened its fifth Coastal Bend location to serve the community. The new clinic picked up about 700 patients following the recent closure.
"My brother and I were born and raised in Alice, Texas, and we definitely see Kingsville as an extension of just our community here," Dr. Miguel Elizondo said.
Elizondo is one of the new physicians at the clinic. He said the facility offers a wide range of services.
"We're here for comprehensive head-to-toe care, diabetes, hypertension, Respiratory issues like COPD, but we're also here for anything short-term acute issues like ankle pain," Elizondo said.
The closure of the WellMed clinic was nerve-wracking for residents who need constant care, like Kingsville neighbor Hector Saenz.
"When I found out they closed, I was wondering like, where am I gonna go, what's gonna happen," Saenz said.
The new clinic emphasized the importance of health care access in the South Texas area, which has a higher number of older residents.
"Some primary cares that have to wait 3 months to be seen when you have patients here that really need the help, especially, being left without a primary care, they need their medicines... to help them with their chronic condition," Elizondo Medical Group nurse practitioner Beth Rodriguez said. "That's what we're here for, to help them get all that and the resources."
For residents like Saenz, it is a relief to know there is another clinic close by.
"I'm very glad that it did open and I have a place to go now, and, we'll take it from there and see how it goes," Saenz said.
Patients coming into the clinic should bring their medication list and any records from previous specialists. The clinic is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Their phone number is (361) 355 - 9700
