Salisbury family practice closes, leaving 2,000 patients concerned

Salisbury, Md- A family practice in Salisbury is shutting down after 35 years, leaving behind confusion and frustration among physicians and staff.

Menocal Family Practice, owned by Privia Health, will close its doors following what employees describe as an abrupt announcement. Some staff members were given just two days’ notice, while others remain to manage the aftermath.

“Last Monday was a normal day,” said Jessica Bas, a registered nurse practitioner at the practice. “Then the office got a call from Privia Health stating that they were going to be closing our office due to, I guess, financial health — not getting in patients to meet our revenue needs. So that was pretty much it.”

Dr. Cynthia Calixte, a family physician at the practice, said the news came as a shock and left her scrambling. About 2,000 patients are now in need of new care providers.

“I’m more concerned about the patients here in the community,” she said. “I’ve been practicing here for the past seven years, so I have a lot of patients who have grown with me. I know their stories — everything. And now I can’t do anything, as they’re just closing the practice.”

Dr. Calixte added that the closure worsens an already difficult situation on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where there is a shortage of primary care providers.

“There’s such a need out here on the Eastern Shore,” she said. “We barely have enough providers and physicians here providing primary care. So this is a huge loss to the community.”

Bas said she is doing her best to move forward.

“It’s unfortunate. I understand that business is rough. It is what it is,” she said. “Fortunately, whatever patients we’re able to reach out to, we tell them where we’re going to be, to give them some kind of continuity of care. They want to stay with us.”