A low-cost clinic in Dalton, Ga., that looked like it may be forced to close has taken a breath of new life after city officials decided Friday to try and negotiate a new contract with its managers.
The Partnership Health Center is run out of the Mack Gaston Community Center. Steven Miracle, the CEO of Georgia Mountains Health, which operates the clinic, said he received a letter from Mayor Dennis Mock telling him the clinic wouldn't be able to operate past July 31. Mock said Miracle did not renew his lease on time, but he also cited concerns about the clinic's operations.
He said it was closed during regular business hours 46 different times and alleged the city's human resources department had to contact the clinic about problems several times. Miracle responded to those claims saying he hadn't heard from Mock in "quite some time," and he was unaware of any ongoing complaints.
However, the Dalton City Council met on Friday and voted to begin working toward a solution with the company.
"We came out of executive session and then we voted to engage Georgia Mountains Health Services for the purpose of negotiating a new contract," Councilman William O'Gwin said Friday night.
"We're going to try to negotiate a contract that would keep them in the location, but it's up to them, as well."
The company has leased its space in the community center for $1 a month for the past five years, but O'Gwin was unwilling to comment on whether he believes that arrangement will be a part of a new agreement.
"I don't want to speculate as to where the contract will end up. I think that will undermine the negotiation process," he said.
Miracle was glad to hear the news and said he's hopeful the clinic will be able to remain in the location two months from now.
"I'm pleased to have the opportunity to continue to provide services there," he said. "That was my biggest concern - the folks who receive care in that location. What were they going to do and where were they going to go?"
The difficulty now is that if a new contract is going to be drawn up, there's a limited amount of time to hammer out the details. The current contract is good through July 31, but Miracle said they really have only until the end of June to resolve matters one way or another.
"As a practical matter, we probably have 30 days before we have to make decisions," he said.
"If we're going to relocate, it takes time to notify patients and other support systems that we have. We'll need to take time to dismantle that."
Contact staff writer Emmett Gienapp at egienapp@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6731. Follow him on Twitter @emmettgienapp.