Mississippi-based TrustCare closes three locations. See where
Mississippi-based TrustCare, a walk-in urgent care company, permanently closed three locations in central Alabama over the weekend.
TrustCare President and CEO Warren Herring said the business model for the Alabama market just was not working.
"Sometimes you go into certain markets and the economics don't make sense and you back out of it," Herring said. "We just decided to stop investing over there, and pull that investment and invest that money in Mississippi."
The locations closed in Alabama included one on Montclair Road in Mountain Brook, one on Montgomery Highway in Vestavia Hills, and one on Crosshaven Drive in Cahaba Heights, all of which had ben opened in the last three years.
TrustCare still has 10 locations in Mississippi, all of which are in the Jackson metro area, and there are plans to open four more locations within the next year. A new TrustCare Kids location along U.S. 80 in Brandon is under construction now and is expected to open in the fall adjacent to another TrustCare clinic in Brandon
Three separate locations in one are planned in Madison at the former Rite-Aid Pharmacy at U.S. 51 and Madison Avenue. The location is expected to be completed after the first of the year. That facility will include a children's clinic, as well as a primary clinic and an urgent care clinic.
TrustCare also added a primary care clinic in Ridgeland in The Township on Monday with Dr. Kristi Trimm leading as a primary care physician there.
"We are actually growing. We are not shrinking," Herring said. "So, while we are pulling back in Alabama, we are continuing to add in Mississippi. "That was our main mission when we started and it's our main mission now."
According to multiple news outlets, employees in the Alabama locations were sent an email Thursday night from the company's director of human resources. Employees were told the clinics would not be opening as normal Friday morning.
"TrustCare has had the privilege to serve the Birmingham area since 2020 at our Montclair, Vestavia Hills and Cahaba Heights locations," according to a statement released by TrustCare. "However, we have made the very difficult decision to permanently close these clinics effective Friday, July 28, to focus on our growing Mississippi footprint and expanding service offerings in urgent, primary and pediatric care (TrustCare Kids), telehealth and occupational health, as well as TrustCare+ digital memberships."
The statement continued, "TrustCare’s dedicated employees in Birmingham have given tremendous effort to further our mission of providing amazing healthcare experiences to all patients. While a number of them will have the opportunity to continue with us at one of our Mississippi clinics, we anticipate many will elect to explore new career opportunities closer to their homes, and we will support them in every way."
Herring founded the company in 2012, which began by specializing in urgent care, but has expanded. All of the walk-in urgent care clinics are staffed with board-certified local physicians and nurse practitioners. The clinics operate 361 days per year.
While the Alabama market was not working, Herring is bullish on Mississippi.
Herring, 39, is also a member of the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority. He was appointed to that position in August 2022.
The three clinics in Alabama had 17 full-time employees.
Ross Reily can be reached by email at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on Twitter @GreenOkra1.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: MS-based TrustCare closes three locations in Alabama
