So I recently found out that the medical facility where my doctor was located is closing down and moving elsewhere.
And honestly, what the fuck is going on?
Because this seems to be becoming a broader problem. Medical facilities closing their doors, doctors relocating their practices, healthcare offices moving to different neighborhoods or locations that are considerably less convenient, and people having a harder and harder time finding doctors in their own communities.
And that’s a problem.
Look, I understand that businesses relocate. I understand that medical practices have expenses, operational challenges, staffing issues, and all sorts of things that can influence where they operate. I’m not suggesting that every medical facility needs to stay in the exact same building forever.
But at what point do we start considering the people who actually depend on these facilities?
Not everyone has a car. Not everyone can easily travel to another neighborhood or borough just to see their doctor. Not everyone has the time, money, physical ability, or transportation options to accommodate these changes.
And when a medical facility closes or moves somewhere considerably less accessible, it can create another obstacle for people who are already trying to navigate an incredibly complicated healthcare system.
Finding a doctor shouldn’t feel like a scavenger hunt. Getting medical care shouldn’t require you to rearrange your entire life just because the office you’ve been going to suddenly decides to relocate.
And let’s be honest: having a doctor nearby matters. Having accessible medical facilities in your community matters. Having somewhere you can go without having to travel ridiculous distances matters.
Healthcare is already expensive enough. Accessing it shouldn’t become another burden.
I don’t know all the circumstances behind every medical facility that’s closing or relocating. And I’m certainly not going to pretend that every situation has the same explanation.
But I do think we need to start paying more attention to this.
Because if medical facilities keep disappearing from communities, or relocating to places that are harder for people to reach, what exactly are residents supposed to do?
Just keep looking for another doctor? Keep traveling farther? Keep adapting every time another facility closes?
At some point, we need to ask ourselves what kind of healthcare accessibility we’re actually building.
Because having healthcare facilities technically exist somewhere isn’t the same thing as having healthcare that’s accessible to the people who need it.
And frankly, I’m getting pretty tired of seeing things that people rely on become increasingly inconvenient to access.
What the fuck is going on?