(Radio Iowa) – A southeast Iowa medical clinic will be closing its doors next month. MercyOne says it will stop seeing patients at its Ottumwa facility on February 27th. In a letter to patients, MercyOne says it will inform them of a medical record transfer to its clinic in Centerville or another facility of the patients’ choice. MercyOne says it must “strengthen its ministry by expanding access where possible and consolidate or relocate services where barriers exist.”

In a Facebook post, a MercyOne healthcare provider said the news was a shock to staff as they were informed just hours before the public. MercyOne’s Ottumwa location is a 33,000 square-foot facility that opened in 2017.