Proposed residential clinic on Sayles Blvd. draws concern from neighbors

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – An after-hours non-emergency medical clinic along residential Sayles Boulevard. That is the dream proposed by Abilene working mother and Emergency Room Physician Assistant, Erica Janae Lunsford. Her vision has faced pushback from some neighbors, mainly due to the late hours and location of the proposed clinic, which would be situated in the standalone garage of her Sayles Blvd. home.

“I wanted to create something for these non-emergencies so people aren’t hit with a huge cost, and so they’re not sitting next to someone who’s actually sick,” said Lunsford.

KTAB/KRBC spoke with Lunsford, who explained the process that led to her decision. Through her years of experience in primary and emergency medical care, she observed a concerning trend: people were spending unnecessary time and money in the emergency waiting room. Many of these individuals did not have true emergencies but felt they had limited options because their issues arose at inconvenient times of day or night.

“What I noticed was that between 9:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. is when I was seeing the bulk of my patients. And honestly, the bulk of those were not emergencies… Automatically, after 9 o’clock, it’s an extra $1,000 on your ER bill… And sometimes there are kids that have asthma exacerbations in the evening, and the E.R. waiting room is full. They’re going to sit out there for three to four hours, and they just need an Albuterol treatment and a steroid, and then they can go home,” Lunsford said.

If the zoning is approved, Lunsford mentioned that her clinic would operate on a pre-screened client basis, meaning it would not accept walk-ins or handle emergency cases. She stated that this approach, along with a flat fee of $155 regardless of the issue, could save people both time and money. Additionally, it would help free up more seats, staff, and resources in local emergency rooms.

“So you have someone that, y’know, it’s 1:00 a.m. and their kid needs a breathing treatment; they could come over here,” said Lunsford.

Neighborhood residents attended the Planning and Zoning Board meeting on September 2 and the City Council meeting on September 25, where a specific request was discussed. Some neighbors expressed their concerns or outright opposition to the request. KTAB/KRBC spoke with one resident, Rhonda Storey, who shared that she and her husband are hesitant about the long-term future of the property.

“Let’s say the rezoning is approved. We’re looking at the future; if they decide to move, what kind of business will we end up with there 5 years from now? 10 years from now,” Storey questioned.

Lunsford’s Real Estate Advisor representative, Kristi Andrew, also spoke at the September 25 Council meeting. She summed up their overall stance, saying, in part, “It will not be high traffic. You’ll only see a handful of patients each day, one at a time. There will be no parking or congestion issues. It will be a quiet, low-impact but highly valuable addition to that neighborhood. A small, compassionate clinic like the one proposed would be an incredible blessing to families like mine, to this city,” Andrew went on to say, “This is the island that I love and know, and I’m asking for consideration to allow this rezoning in an attempt to improve our community.”

The city council did not take any action during that meeting because it was only the first reading of the request. This request will be discussed again at the next city council meeting, scheduled for Thursday, October 9, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Abilene City Hall.