Longtime medical center to soon close in Centre County, in area hard hit by business loss
Mountaintop Area Medical Center — which offers primary care, lab services, women’s health services, and more — recently announced it’s closing its doors at the end of next month, meaning the nearest doctor’s office to Snow Shoe will soon be more than 10 miles away.
Local residents began receiving notice of the closure about a week ago via letter from the organization that manages the clinic, Keystone Rural Health Consortia, Inc. The CEO of that organization also confirmed the center’s Aug. 31 closure Monday.
“This is heartbreaking for all of us,” Keystone Rural CEO Kristie Bennardi told the CDT. “This is the last thing we wanted to do. But, unfortunately, with all the factors playing in, we had no choice.”
According to both Bennardi and the letter, the decision was made for several reasons that center on the clinic no longer being able to financially support itself. The COVID-19 pandemic hastened those concerns.
Bennardi said the clinic, located at 402 E. Sycamore Road in Snow Shoe Township, now boasts fewer than 500 patients, with many former patients opting for larger health care systems farther away — like Geisinger — because they offer cheaper co-pays. The closure of Moshannon Valley Pharmacy’s Snow Shoe location last year also impacted the medical center, which earned revenue from a government program that essentially helped such centers pay for the medications of under-insured and low-income patients. “Once they left, we lost that income,” Bennardi added.
On top of that, the pandemic only magnified the financial issues. The number of patients seen was basically halved during the pandemic, from an estimated 120 a month to between 40 and 60. Finding staff to work at the location was also an issue.
Regardless of the reasons, the closure of Mountaintop Area Medical Center is yet another blow to a community that’s seen several important businesses shutter over the last 18 months. Hall’s Market, a staple in the area for 107 years, burned down in February 2020 — and the owner made a “financial decision” not to rebuild, making the area a literal “food desert.” The pharmacy closed down in June 2020 after four decades in business, citing “financial challenges.” And now the medical center, founded in 1972 and taken over by Keystone Rural in 2003, is leaving for similar reasons.
“I think it’s going to have a pretty good impact on the area,” said Snow Shoe Borough Mayor Bill Dudish, who hoped to soon discuss the closure with the county commissioners. “People are going to have to travel somewhere out of town, and we’ve got a lot of seniors up here. ... A lot of us here use the center.”
The nearest doctor’s office for Snow Shoe residents is now in Bellefonte, nearly a 20-minute drive away. Since the pharmacy’s closure, that’s also the area where patients have been directed.
Keystone Rural alerted its remaining patients that case managers will be available through the end of the year to help them find alternative providers. For those who are homebound, certified nurse practitioner Patricia Butler — who works at the med center and lives in Clearfield — will be able to continue seeing those Snow Shoe patients, though she’ll be working out of a different location.
Those not homebound who wish to continue seeing their same practitioner will have to drive 75 minutes north to the Cameron County Health Center in Emporium.
Keystone Rural received formal approval to close its doors from a federal agency, the Health Resources and Services Administration. It also alerted Rep. Glenn Thompson, R-Howard Township, as he’s been a longtime supporter of the clinic.
Three employees remain at the med center location, Bennardi said, after several resignations in the wake of the closure announcement.
“We’ve loved serving that community for many years,” Bennardi said. “We wish that there was a way we could continue to do so and remain sustainable in that location. We’ll do everything we can in assisting those patients finding care providers.”
