Hundreds of parents in one local community are scrambling to find a new doctor for their children. Wilmington, already hard-hit by thousands of layoffs when DHL shut down, now faces another problem. The doctor who took care of most of the city's low-income children is leaving town.
As Local 12 Reporter Jeff Hirsh tells us, that leaves those in town without a lot of options.
"In a bigger community the closing of one doctor's office would of course be an inconvenience to the patients of that office, but in a smaller town like wilmington when on pediatrician's office closes and is not going to re-open, that's a big issue."
A big issue for 5 month olds, like Aria ... 4 year-olds, like Morgan ... and for parents, like Rebecca, long who wonder what's next.
"I have no idea."
No idea, because Dr. Seema Nadkani is moving out of town ... and her employer, Clinton Memorial Hospital, is not replacing her. These patient files include around 500 low income children. Dr. Seema, as patients call her, was the only pediatrician in town who took that many children on medicaid:
Robin Crone, Grandma of 3 Patients: "When I told our oldest granddaughter, Savannah, she was just devastated, one that Dr. Seema was leaving and that she may have to travel out of town to go to the doctor."
Here at the Community Action Agency's Head Start program ... nearly all the 125 kids see Dr. Seema. Folks here say other local pediatricians are not taking new medicaid patients ... leaving hundreds un-covered.
Carole Erdman, Head Start Director: "And a lot of children on medical cards have more than one problem. They have asthma, they get sick often."
A hospital spokesperson says Wilmington's down economy .... low medicaid reimbursements ... and the difficulty of recruiting pediatricians for small towns add up to not replacing Dr. Seema. Wilmington's parents are already feeling the town's troubles. Now, the kids will, too.
Doctor Seema's office closes in early December. A Clinton Memorial spokesperson says the hospital's Wilmington Family Health Center, along with East Clinton Medical Services in Sabina, will accept new medicaid patients. However, it could take more than a month to get in if all 500 children apply.
