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QuickMed pitches city‑owned ‘community concierge’ clinic to Struthers council; members agree to explore grants
Summary
QuickMed CEO Lina told the Struthers City Council Finance & Legislation committee that the company can run a city‑owned clinic that would offer no‑cost primary and urgent care to residents and participating employers; presenters estimated roughly $3 million in initial grant funding and about $120,000 monthly operating costs and asked council to signal whether staff should pursue grants.
Lina, chief executive officer of QuickMed, and consultant Kristen Olmi presented a proposal to the Struthers City Council Finance & Legislation committee to pilot a city‑owned “community concierge” clinic that would provide free access to basic urgent and primary care for city residents and employees.
QuickMed said the model would combine walk‑in urgent care, scheduled primary care, occupational health, telehealth and limited on‑site imaging. “We operate urgent‑care–primary‑care hybrids seven days a week,” Lina said, describing the company’s regional footprint and school‑based programs. Presenters said the clinic would be owned by the city, with QuickMed contracted to staff and manage daily operations.
Kristen Olmi, who introduced the funding approach, told council that KO (the consultant team) could begin pursuing capital and operational grants if the council signals interest. “If you’re interested, we will start to pursue grant money to pay for it,” Olmi said, adding that feasibility analysis would be required to plan long‑term funding.
Presenters supplied two cost benchmarks for council consideration: an operating cost estimate of about $120,000 per month and a roughly $3,000,000 funding need to cover capital and operations for the first two years. QuickMed recommended a 3,000‑square‑foot starter facility with room to expand and said capital and equipment should be solved before applying for capital and operating grants together.
On liability and billing, presenters said malpractice would remain with individual providers under QuickMed’s management agreement and that QuickMed would report work‑injury claims while billing workers’ compensation carriers $0 for treatment in the facility. Council members pressed for data and long‑term funding assurances; presenters repeatedly emphasized the need for feasibility work and contingency plans if grant funding fell short.
Members raised potential funding avenues the presenters identified: state Department of Health grants, national foundations (including Bloomberg Philanthropy), school‑based health designations, employer contributions and a possible ballot measure for ongoing operational support. Olmi said some federal and foundation funding streams can underwrite pilot operations for multiple years, but cautioned that long‑term municipal commitments would need careful planning.
Council members voiced interest in exploring the proposal. Several said they would support staff and KO doing feasibility work and applying for competitive grants, provided the city does not commit operating dollars until the plan is clearer. The presenters asked the council to indicate whether the clinic should be a city priority; members said they would discuss it further at upcoming meetings.
Next steps: presenters asked staff and council to confirm whether pursuing grant applications and feasibility studies should become a council priority. Council scheduled follow‑up discussions during the budget workshop and caucus meetings next week.
