Former Garland firefighter says City Care Clinic no longer available to retirees under new operator

A retired Garland firefighter told the June 17 City Council meeting that the City Care Clinic has stopped offering services to retirees under a new operator and asked the city to reconsider that policy.

Randy Smith, who said he served for more than 35 years on the Garland Fire Department and lives in Addison, said he was informed on June 1 that retirees are no longer able to use the City Care Clinic after the city changed providers. Smith said the clinic previously provided low-cost services such as basic physicals and blood-pressure checks and that losing access had cost him roughly $150 to obtain a required form.

“After 35 years in the fire department, the one thing that stayed consistent was that they always told us that the City Care Clinic would be available to us retirees,” Smith said during the public-comment portion of the meeting. He asked the council to “take another look at the City Care Clinic and give that service back to us.”

The public-comment segment captured citizens’ concerns and congratulations to the new mayor; no city staff response to Smith’s specific request was recorded in the meeting minutes or during the meeting’s public-comment period.