KINGSVILLE, Texas — On Tuesday, October 7, the doors of the Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation's Sister Elizabeth Smith Clinic in Kingsville were closed. Letters were sent to local residents notifying them of the closure. The clinic had opened in 2022 to serve the community.
“No two-week notice, no three-week notice, just shut down, ” said a lifelong Kingsville neighbor, who preferred to stay anonymous.
The resident said having the clinic nearby was a blessing, and now that it’s closed, his access to local medical care is limited.
"It does hurt, and just being somebody that is… I’m low income, so… it is just very difficult,” he said.
According to the letter, patients who had appointments after Tuesday will be contacted to reschedule their visit at their Corpus Christi clinic or via telehealth.
KRIS 6 News reached out to Kleberg County Judge Rudy Madrid to ask why it closed.
“Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation… they did abandon our community, you know, they allocated - reallocated their resources and, and took their services,” Judge Madrid said.
Judge Madrid said it was the decision of the foundation to close.
“They said they can no longer support it. They didn't have enough providers, and the funding was decreased, so they started laying off folks,” Judge Madrid said.
The clinic facility is owned by the county, which provided the space to the foundation at no cost. The foundation stated they received no additional financial funding from the county to cover staff costs.
Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation CEO Bill Herschel said they had reallocated staff and cut anything they could to make it work at the clinic. However, Judge Madrid wanted to go a different direction.
“We were requested to leave the facility so it can be used, and as he said, he wanted to pursue a different solution. And so, we honor that choice, uh, and we simply do not have funds or the means to start a clinic somewhere else in town,” Herschel said.
Herschel explained that the clinic attended 180 patients, most uninsured, within the past year. He added there are other options in town and urged the community to use those.
“Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation did not abandon the community. We have done everything we can to create a smooth transition,” Herschel said.
Judge Madrid said he plans to move forward with the clinic and reopen as soon as possible. He said he will let residents know who the new operators of the facility will be by next week.
If you need to reach out to the Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation, you can call (361) 814-2001.
