Oconto Falls eye clinic to close by the end of the year
OCONTO FALLS - BayCare Clinic Eye Specialists will close its Oconto Falls location by the end of the year.
Kent Reidinger, the division manager for BayCare Clinic Eye Specialists, said a string of physician retirements, along with struggles to replace them, led to the decision for the clinic, which opened in 1985.
Two retina specialists retired in the past year, another doctor will retire at the end of the year, and one doctor will switch to part-time status this month, he said.
"I’ve seen a lot of changes with the clinic and I’ve never seen this type of situation where most of them are all the same age," said Reidinger, who has been with BayCare for 47 years. "(They are all) into their 60s and you are starting to lose more of them; unfortunately, they are very hard to replace."
Reidinger said fewer people are going to school now to be retina specialists, and those who do often get jobs on the East or West Coasts rather than the Midwest.
The final day for the Oconto Falls clinic and optical center, 323 E. Highland Drive, Suite 8, will be Dec. 29. Dr. Elizabeth Congdon and Dr. Jacob Kozisek will continue to see patients there until that date.
Dr. William Reynders will continue to provide surgical services, including cataract surgeries, at HSHS St. Clare Memorial Hospital in Oconto Falls until Dec. 19.
"The decision to close the Oconto Falls clinic was not taken lightly, and we recognize the impact it may have on our patients and the community," said Reynders, a comprehensive ophthalmologist. "However, we want to reassure everyone that our Green Bay and Marinette sites are fully equipped to meet their healthcare needs."
In Marinette, retina specialty services are offered on Mondays, cataracts are treated on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, pediatric care is provided every other Thursday, and glaucoma services every other Friday.
The clinic in Oconto Falls provides cataract surgery out of the hospital once a month, and has an optometrist staffed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
For more information, call BayCare Clinic Eye Specialists at 877-462-9465.
Contact Kevin Dittman at 920-431-8416 or kdittman@gannett.com.
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This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: BayCare Clinic Eye Specialists to close Oconto Falls clinic
