Spectrum Health Care provides next steps to clients after clinic closure

Charles Dunlap, Columbia Daily Tribune
·4 min read

Spectrum Health Care, after financial issues that started with the COVID-19 pandemic and the eventual scaling back of health clinic hours to Mondays and Tuesdays, had to close its health clinic late last week.

"The pandemic did not cause this. We have experienced financial difficulties since about the beginning of the pandemic, (and) we are not able to continue," said Echo Menges, Spectrum board chair. "... Our board, we feel the full gravity of the situation at hand."

The board is working on other news releases and responses to questions it has received.

The provider was focused on the health and housing of clients living with HIV, AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections. While its housing efforts, which include rent and mortgage payment assistance is continuing, financial issues associated with the clinic prompted its closure Thursday, following a board meeting last Tuesday, Menges said.

"The clinic was already scaled back because of financial difficulties," Menges said. "... My main hope is that we will be able to continue to serve clients we still have in meaningful ways because we are not done yet. We still have a housing program.

The choice to close the clinic was made in part to protect the existing housing program and the board does not yet know what a reimagined healthcare program would look like, she added.

Spectrum's housing program started in 2002 and is supported via a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS contract. It provides housing assistance to nearly half the state, according to the Spectrum website.

Spectrum sent a letter to all of its clinic clients about the closure, how they could obtain their medical records and a list of other providers where they could receive care, including Compass Health, a federally qualified health center. Compass, available at 573-214-2314, can take patients who do not have insurance.

"We are running on volunteers. It's all volunteer right now," Menges said about the even further limited clinic operations.

Spectrum also provided a list of doctors and nurse practitioners taking patients within the Boone Health Medical Group. This includes office locations on Broadway and Nifong.

Columbia doctors and nurse practitioners listed include:

Broadway

  • Brittany Kammerich

  • Michael Kinkade

  • Redonda Marshall

  • Sarah McBee

  • Bethany Mullinix

Nifong

  • Lauren Breshears

  • Mindy Doscher

  • Charlotte Chang

  • Ayaaz Habibullah

  • Vidhi Sharma

The list also noted doctors accepting patients within the Boone Medical Group in Ashland, Hallsville, Centralia, Boonville, Moberly, Glasgow and Osage Beach. Other available resources are through the University of Missouri, including its infectious disease clinic at 573-882-8788 and primary care at 573-884-7733.

Those seeking HIV or STI test results can receive them through the Quest Diagnostics patient portal. Clients seeking medical records can submit a HIPPA release authorization to records@spectrumhealthcare.org or via mail to Spectrum Health Care, 1123 Wilkes Blvd. Suite 100, Columbia, MO 65201. The email address also is available for other questions clients may have.

"Because we are running on this at this volunteer level, we are kind of cut off at the knees as far as on a financial level," Menges said. "We want to refer clients onto other specialty services if that is what they were coming to us for."

Spectrum originally was known as the Regional AIDS Interfaith Network when it was founded 30 years ago.

"It was a group of health care workers who banded together to help people who were dying of AIDS, die with dignity," Menges said. "We are talking the 90s. ... There were a collection of AIDS patients who were dying (without their families) and were alone and these health care workers got together and decided they were not going to stand by and drove them to doctor's appointments and sat bedside.

"The origins of spectrum are pretty amazing."

The grassroots organization grew to practically a state-level agency, Menges said, which at one point had case management, testing, treatment and outreach.

"For me personally, my family is directly affected by this (clinic) closure. Our board feels the full weight of this situation. No one wanted this to happen and we are trying to deal with it the best we can," Menges said.

Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Here's where HIV patients can go after Spectrum Health Care closure