Washington Blade - February 26, 2009
Amy Cavanaugh

Catania (I-At Large) sent several pages of questions to Clinic CEO Donald Blanchon on Feb. 18, less than one month after he publicly grilled Blanchon about the Clinic's operations. Responses to the 72 questions are due within 30 days.

Whitman-Walker Clinic announced in December that it would close its Northern Virginia location, outsource some programs and lay off 45 employees. Blanchon has said the changes were spurred by declining revenue and an increase in patients receiving uncompensated care.

Catania criticized Blanchon during a Jan. 28 oversight hearing for not asking the Council for help to better navigate the financial woes, laying off the 45 employees shortly before Christmas and not providing severance pay.

Catania said after the hearing that he would pose questions regarding the Clinic's financial situation and community standing, and if he is "not satisfied with the response, we will launch a full-scale investigation into the operation of the Clinic."

The questions sent to Blanchon on Feb. 18 seek information about how the Clinic's departments, programs, services and site locations have been restructured over the past three years. Also sought are the names of corporate sponsors, the number of times over the past three years that the Clinic has missed or delayed payroll, and any times that the Clinic had an outstanding balance for contracts made with vendors.

Information about Clinic employees also is sought. Requests are made for "an anonymous demographic profile of all Clinic employees" and "a breakdown by full-time and part-time employees and by program and service area." A note specifies that, at a minimum, the Clinic should "provide information regarding race/ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, residency, age, service term, HIV status (if known), union status (including local affiliation) and consumer status of employees."

Catania also asks for information about employees who were laid off over the past three years, including "a list of all positions that have been eliminated as part of restructuring or reorganization efforts," and "the name of the individual that was terminated as a result."

Benjamin Young, Catania's chief of staff, said a second hearing would be scheduled to review the situation "after the Committee on Health has a chance to review the responses to the questions it has asked."

The questions were sent to the Clinic as it prepares to close its Northern Virginia location.

Chip Lewis, a Clinic spokesperson, said the location has stopped offering HIV testing and is moving clients to other clinics as officials prepare to close the location by March 31.

Lewis said the Virginia site served 1,009 clients, including 331 STD cases and one-time clients. The 678 clients who were receiving regular care are being handled on a case-by-case basis.

"As of [Feb.] 19, we have 456 [clients] who have been transferred to other places, or we have not been able to contact them to determine their plans," he said. "We sent a letter and made phone calls, and we're keeping their medical records until we hear from them again in case they want to receive Whitman-Walker care in the future or transfer to other places."

Lewis said Clinic officials are working to transfer 222 patients to a new facility. The three main Northern Virginia clinics that clients are being referred to are Inova Juniper, the Casey Clinic in Alexandria and the Arlington County Health Department.

Lewis said that some of the Northern Virginia staff will continue to work for the Clinic, filling openings at the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center or the Max Robinson Center, but some employees will lose their jobs.

Among the employees that will no longer be working for the Clinic is Brent Minor, the Northern Virginia clinic's site director. Minor told the Blade that he would focus on finalizing Washington's bid for the 2014 Gay Games, an endeavor he has been working on as a side project.

"My focus is on ensuring a smooth and good transition for our clients," he said. "I will be turning my attention to the bid to host the Gay Games."

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