The Optum Woodbury Pediatrics location recently announced it would be closing its doors before the New Year.
According to a spokesperson at Optum, the services provided at Woodbury will be integrated into nearby locations, with many of the Woodbury providers relocating to the Syosset location or the new Plainview multi-specialty facility, which opened in September.
“We regularly review our services, footprint and staffing levels to ensure they meet the needs of the people we serve, our business and evolving market dynamics. We are providing clear information and support to our patients to ensure uninterrupted care,” said a spokesperson for Optum.
The office has served generations of families in the Woodbury area, and some of those families are expressing concern about the closure of the location. Keri Pucci, who had received care from the office as a child, also sent her children to the same location for pediatric services. She said she feels that the closure would make her kids “just another number” at another office.
“Optum Woodbury Pediatrics is far more than a medical office—it is a lifeline. A safe, consistent, comforting place for children and families,” Pucci wrote in a statement to Schneps Media LI. “Its closure would be a tremendous and deeply felt loss for our entire community.”
Patients of Woodbury Pediatrics were notified about the closure with a letter a week before Thanksgiving. Patients were also given a reference to determine whether their provider had moved to a different Optum location, according to a spokesperson at Optum. Pucci said that she originally saw the news on a Facebook group.
The closure has concerned more than just Pucci.
An online petition has garnered over 600 signatures, with community members expressing concern about the disruption of community care for children in the area and praising the level of care provided at the location.
The petition is urging Optum, the healthcare group that owns the practice, to reconsider the closure through “alternative solutions such as partnership agreements, collaborative funding strategies, or community support programs.”The office’s last day of operation will be Dec. 21.
