I am a concerned citizen of Chattahoochee, FL, and I am writing this petition on behalf of many in our community. Many of our citizens are elderly and some are disabled. Having a clinic in town is imperative to the well-being of many patients as it is an undue hardship to travel for regular office visits.

The HCA Capital Primary Care Chattahoochee Clinic has been a lifeline for us. It provides essential healthcare services that we would otherwise have to travel many miles to access. According to the U.S Census Bureau, over 20% of  Chattahoochee's population is over 65 years old (U.S Census Bureau, 2019), which is a larger ratio than the general American population. For these individuals and others with mobility issues, of which there are also many, traveling long distances for medical care can be challenging, if not impossible. In addition, the Chattahoochee CPC Clinic serves a population of over 3,000 citizens in need, 32.3% of which are at or below poverty levels, which can also cause an issue with having to travel out of town for medical visits (DataIO, 2022). Chattahoochee is also home to World War II veterans at six times the rate of the national average for other towns, and Gulf War veterans at double the national average, as well as our honored Vietnam vets who proudly reside here. Since our local health care office is used by so many, it would be a great loss to our community if the office closed. We appreciate our small town provider and the ability to be able to be under medical supervision or have local care when and where we need it most.

Our plea is simple but urgent: We need the Capital Primary Care Chattahoochee Clinic to remain open. The closure would not only affect those who rely on it for regular check-ups but also those who need immediate medical attention. Chattahoochee has lost many things over the years, but its citizens are close knit and willing to stand together to fight for our community to survive in ways that we need to thrive. This is one of those ways. Having a trusted local healthcare team and clinic is an absolute necessity for our population. 

We strongly urge relevant authorities and decision-makers to carefully and consicously consider the impact this closure will have on our community's most vulnerable members and make the right decision to keep our local clinic OPEN. Please help us send a loud and clear message that we need our local clinic now more than ever before. We will raise our voices far and wide to spread this message. Please join us to help save our local clinic! 

Sign this petition today if you believe in keeping accessible healthcare in place for all residents of Chattahoochee, FL! 

You can also help by contacting their offices directly to strongly urge them to help serve this population with a hometown clinic by scrolling to the bottom of the webpage located at https://www.hcafloridahealthcare.com/locations/capital-hospital/about-us/contact-us  and copying this message into their contact box OR email tamara.tatum@HCAhealthcare.com and tell her why it is imperative to have this clinic in Chattahoochee!