Kansas City AIDS clinic closes

On Tuesday, August 31, for-profit company HCA Inc. closed the outpatient Midtown ID Clinic in Kansas City, Mo., which has primarily treated HIV patients during its 18-year history, the Kansas City Star reports. HCA opted to close the clinic when MIDC failed to submit a business plan. Also, an arrangement under which HCA would have given MIDC $100,000 to remain open as a nonprofit organization separate from HCA's other divisions fell through on Monday. Kansas City mayoral spokesman Donovan Mouton says patients treated by MIDC will be directed to other AIDS clinics in the area, but MIDC officials and patients say they have yet to be told where to turn for services. Desi Bravo, MIDC's manager, says it could take up to a year for all of the clinic's patients to find new health care providers. MIDC patients can obtain free copies of their records by calling (816) 753-2600, according to HCA spokesman Rob Dyer.