The closest urgent care center to the College, located in North Adams, shut down indefinitely on Aug. 29. Previously, students could visit the Southwestern Vermont Health Care (SVHC) Urgent Care to seek treatment for “symptoms of urgent but non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses” and “x-rays, imaging, testing services for COVID and STDs, sports injuries, vaccinations, and DOT physicals,” according to its website.
No reason was given for the closure by a spokesperson for SVMC, the health system with which the facility was affiliated, nor by ClearChoiceMD, its operating partner. “The shutdown occurred rather suddenly and we are not completely sure about the reasons,” Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Jeff Malanson wrote in an email to the Record. The facility reduced its hours in August before halting operations entirely at the end of the month.
The future of the urgent care center is uncertain. “We have since learned that Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, which had invested in the urgent care center in North Adams, plans to reopen a new urgent care center at the same location at some point in the future, although they do not yet have a firm timeline,” Malanson wrote.
SVHC has signed a purchase agreement for the North Adams urgent care location, Director of Marketing and Communications for Southwestern Vermont Medical Center Kate Czaplinsky wrote in an email to the Record. “Prior to the clinic closing, SVHC had been in discussions with ClearChoiceMD, the managing partner of this location, to assume ownership of the clinic,” she wrote. “We will have more to share on our plans in the near future. We know this clinic is an important resource to the college and our surrounding communities.”
SVHC Urgent Care was one of the few health care facilities accessible to the College and Town communities. “While we never received a full report on student utilization, anecdotally it seemed that at least a few Williams students per week made use of the urgent care in North Adams, especially when the Health Center was closed,” Malanson wrote.
Students are already running into difficulty seeking care. “I went to the urgent care next to Stop & Shop last week, but then I saw it was closed [so] I had to drive 40 minutes to Pittsfield,” Sienna Kelley ’27 told the Record.
The College’s Health Center has not changed its policies or opening hours in response to the closure. “Student Health Services is not changing anything about its service delivery specifically in response to urgent care closing, but we will [be] doing more to promote the services that we already have in place to support student wellbeing throughout their time at Williams,” Malanson wrote.
The College’s Health Center at 105 The Knolls is open for walk-in patients Monday through Friday from 10 to 11 a.m., in addition to seeing students by appointment 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on all other weekdays. Students also have access to free over-the-phone consultation through Berkshire Health Systems outside of business hours.
The urgent care center figured prominently in the risk management plan for the College’s athletics and outdoor education programs. EphVentures take place over Labor Day Weekend when the Health Center and IWS are closed, according to Ben Oliver, director of the Williams Outing Club. In the event of serious emergencies during EphVentures, students go to the hospital or the emergency room, but for more minor injuries or health concerns, “the EphVenture team previously took students to the nearby urgent care,” he said.
Its closure creates logistical hurdles for EphVentures leaders. “We would either have to take people to the emergency room in North Adams — which is fine, they’ll get seen — [but] it’s a longer drive and there’s a lot of longer waiting times,” Oliver added. “And so that’s just delaying care.”
Student Health and Wellness Services advertises that students can request rides using the number on their website to “doctor’s appointments, physical therapy appointments, dental visits, urgent care visits, x-rays, [and] blood tests,” according to the website. Students can request rides to the urgent care centers and doctors’ offices in Pittsfield and Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington, Vt.
“We strongly encourage all Williams students to take full advantage of the services provided at the Health Center,” Malanson said. “Calling our after-hours on-call line on evenings and weekends is quicker and more cost-effective than going straight to urgent care or the ER.”
SVMC ExpressCare in Bennington, about 18 minutes from campus via car, is currently the closest urgent care facility and is open seven days a week. The North Adams Regional Hospital is also open 24/7.
