Two Iowa medical centers have alerted LeRoy residents of their willingness to take them as new patients in the wake of the LeRoy Clinic’s closing earlier this month.

The response came after Mayo Clinic Health System, citing staff shortages and low patient numbers, announced the clinic would close on Oct. 2. The adjoining pharmacy remains open.

Last week, Robin Schluter, CEO of Regional Health Services of Howard County in Cresco, and Shelly Russell, head of Mitchell County Regional Health Center from Osage, met with the LeRoy City Council and its Economic Development Authority Board.

Both health centers are partners of Mercy Health Network – North Iowa of Mason City.

The Cresco center has an office in Lime Springs, while the Osage-based health center has an office in Riceville. Both are within 13 miles of LeRoy.

Both said the clinics were ready to take more patients. The Riceville clinic is open five days a week and the Lime Springs clinic is open three days each week. Extending clinic hours due to increased numbers of patient visits is possible, according to the  CEOs.

Combined, said Mayor Brian Thiel, the two health organizations are staffed with more than 20 providers, including physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants, along with nurses and affiliated health professionals.

He said it was not long after the Mayo announcement that inquiries about providing healthcare services began to come to the city.

“Our concern was for the future of our residents,” said Thiel. “I would say that the EDA and the city council have found the response quite favorable” from residents and adopted a resolution of thanks to the centers to fill the void.

Thiel said LeRoy’s Wildwood Grove Senior Living Center would be able to receive services of a visiting provider, from one of the two medical centers, inside the facility who would also handle collection of lab specimens.

In-home service seems possible, too, for the residents in group home facilities, many of which are managed by Lutheran Social Services with its regional offices in LeRoy, according to Thiel.

A round of public education opportunities for LeRoy residents will begin immediately so residents can meet the providers whose services are now being made available, Thiel said. Administrators from both Cresco and Osage will attend the weekly noon community luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 12 at the senior center.