Oxford Urgent Care Closing After 30 Years as Providers Join UMMC

The Urgent Care Clinic of Oxford, which has served Oxford and Lafayette County for more than three decades, is closing its walk-in operation as its three full-time providers transition to a new University of Mississippi Medical Center-operated family medicine clinic at 1397 Belk Blvd. The new clinic is expected to open March 2, with patient appointments beginning March 6.

John Lewis, Rachel Sledge and long-time Oxford doctor Will Dabbs will move to the UMMC-run office, a short distance from the current urgent care site in Oxford. Patients who wish to continue with those providers will be able to transfer medical records once the new clinic is fully operational.

Dabbs framed the decision in economic terms, citing pressures that have weighed on small practices in recent years. “This decision has not come lightly, but difficulties with insurance reimbursement, coupled with inflation since COVID have rendered full-service mom and pop doctor’s offices like ours no longer viable,” Dabbs said. “I am proud that we made it so much longer than most.” Reporting from the clinic described the transition as coming amid ongoing challenges for independent medical practices and rising costs since the COVID-19 pandemic.

University of Mississippi Medical Center will operate the new office at 1397 Belk Blvd., in the building owned by Dr. Kecia Kirk. The clinic will function as a traditional appointment-based family medicine practice while still offering a limited number of same-day appointments for urgent needs. Officials said the office will be supported by additional physicians, nurse practitioners and the broader resources of UMMC to supplement Lewis, Sledge and Dabbs.

The clinic announced its permanent closure via social media Monday morning; a separate Instagram excerpt from the Urgent Care account read, “Oxford Urgent Care will remain closed to allow our staff and their families to stay warm & safe! We hope to see you soon!!” That Instagram text was provided without a timestamp and does not specify whether it refers to the temporary or the permanent closing notice. Because of a recent cyberattack at UMMC, additional comment from the medical center was not available by press time.

For residents of Oxford and Lafayette County, the change shifts a long-running local care option toward an appointment-centered model backed by a statewide health system. The move closes a chapter on more than three decades of neighborhood urgent care while keeping the clinic’s primary providers nearby and scheduling for patients slated to begin March 6.