BROCKTON Military veterans who were using an outpatient clinic in Quincy will temporarily see doctors in Brockton after the abrupt closure last month of Quincy Medical Center.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs clinic closed on Dec. 26, five days earlier than planned, because the Quincy hospital shut down all of its services except a satellite emergency department, said VA spokeswoman Pallas Wahl.
We had a lease that was going to run out at the end of the year. We just jumped a little sooner than we thought, Wahl said. Were all kind of displaced a little bit, but we wanted to make the best decision for our folks.
The clinic at Quincy Medical Center served veteran populations in Quincy, Weymouth and Braintree. Approximately 1,400 veterans were registered with the VA in the area, though not all used the primary care services available at the clinic, Wahl said.
While the VA looks for a new, permanent location in Quincy, the patients who had used the hospital clinic relocated to the VAs Brockton campus at 940 Belmont St. starting Jan. 2. The staff who had worked at Quincy Medical Center have been relocated to a primary care facility in building three in Brockton.
Last month, the states Department of Public Health approved Steward Health Cares plan to close Quincy Medical Center on Dec. 26. Steward, a for-profit company, had planned to keep the acute-care hospital open until Dec. 31, but the closure was pushed up after the last admitted patient left Dec. 23.
Steward said it closed the hospital after years of financial losses. The DPH waived a law that says hospitals must give 90 days of notice before closing. Steward announced its decision to close the 124-year-old hospital in early November.
The VA Boston system, which also includes hospitals in West Roxbury and Jamaica Plain, operates four additional outpatient clinics in Boston, Framingham, Lowell and Plymouth.
Wahl said the VA anticipates a permanent clinic reopening in the Quincy area within 60 days.
In the meantime, patients have been notified of the change and the VA will work with individuals if they have transportation problems. Wahl said so far that has not been an issue.
Veterans can confirm appointments and get more information by calling 800-865-3384.
