Health Services of North Texas’ proposed acquisition of Family Health Care Inc. is off the table.
The move would have bolstered the range of medical care Health Services of North Texas offers as well as kept services going for current patients of Family Health Care. Both nonprofits offer medical care with sliding-scale fees for qualifying patients.
The acquisition had been talked about between Doreen Rue, Health Services of North Texas CEO, and Family Health Care executive director Patrice Capan for the last couple of years.
She cited funding difficulty alongside Capan’s impending retirement next year and patient concern as the reasons for the move.
“Our patients are very similar,” Rue said. “There’s a symmetry between what we do — both our goals are to make sure the services continue in the community.”
Capan did not make herself available for comment.
If Family Health Care had been acquired, Health Services would have gained prenatal care, family planning and general women’s health services to bolster the work it does already. That includes comprehensive medical care, behavioral health, guardianship, prescription assistance, enrollment for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, health insurance marketplace enrollment, nutrition services, insurance assistance and pediatric care. Health Services of North Texas saw 3,700 patients in 2013.
The acquisition was supposed to have occured Aug. 1. Health Services of North Texas had even put out a July 28 news release touting the move. The board members of Family Health Care asked for a two-week extension, which would have made the date for the move Aug. 15.
But after an Aug. 2 meeting, the acquisition was scuttled, at least for now, Rue said.
“It’s complicated trying to transition services and governing boards, and they needed a little more time,” she said.
BJ LEWIS can be reached at 940-566-6875 and via Twitter at @BjlewisDRC.
