A Libby clinic that focused on patients with asbestos-related diseases abruptly shuttered on Monday, two weeks earlier than its planned wind-down.
The Libby Center for Asbestos Related Disease has since 2000 offered screening and resources for patients with asbestos-related diseases due to exposure to vermiculite mined in the region throughout the 1900s.
According to a post on the clinic’s Facebook page, “unforeseen circumstances beyond CARD’s control, including circumstances relating to grant funding,” prevented the clinic from staying open through the end of the month.
The clinic was largely funded through federal grants, but has been at the heart of several legal battles in recent years with the BNSF Railway, which sued the clinic, arguing it had defrauded the federal government by falsely diagnosing patients and helping them receive Medicare benefits.
The clinic filed for bankruptcy in 2023, citing the lawsuit, and further funding cuts from the federal government led to the decision to shutter it on Aug. 31.
The clinic director and members of the board could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
In its Facebook post, the clinic said its “ability to process and respond to medical records requests is currently limited,” but that clinic staff are consulting with government agencies and legal counsel to determine “the appropriate process for handling medical records requests during this transition.”
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