Kennesaw State to Close Health Clinic

Kennesaw State University will close its clinic at MUST Ministries Friday, temporarily interrupting a service that Cobb County's under-insured and uninsured have enjoyed for 15 years.

“I am sorry that we must take this action," university president Daniel S. Papp said today in a statement, "but a combination of factors has led to this decision."

One factor is the lack of money needed to operate the clinic, which provided office visits, phone consultations and prescription refills for patients. Kennesaw State depended on donations, grants and university endowment funds to cover the $200,000 a year expense.

"As state money cannot be used to run the clinic," WellStar College of Health and Human Services Dean Richard Sowell said, "we simply no longer have the means to do so."

While MUST Ministries continues talks with a number of potential replacements, staff from the agency and the Kennesaw State clinic are working with existing patients to help them identify other health care options.

“Our goals are to improve the quality of life for people recovering from homelessness, to reduce emergency department visits and to raise awareness of the needs of the underserved,” MUST Ministries president and CEO Dr. Ike Reighard said.

Papp said Kennesaw State values its "relationship with MUST Ministries ... (and) will find other ways to continue our collaboration as both of our institutions move forward."