The Sierra Vista Regional Health Center has yet to open the Tombstone Family Health Clinic, and there seems to be no timetable in sight.

The construction of Tombstone’s health clinic is complete. All of the furnishings are in place and the sign is up. The only things missing are open doors.

Laura Oxley, a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Health Services said the clinic’s initial inspection was canceled in June and has yet to be rescheduled because the regional health center was not prepared to conduct an inspection. An initial inspection is required to make sure the facility has the correct procedures and policies in place, Oxley said. It also determines if the facility has proper safety codes, equipment and a complete medical staff, she added.

“We have called the Sierra Vista Regional Health Center several times since June to see if they are ready for their initial inspection, but they have not gotten back to us yet,” Oxley said. “We are waiting on them. It is their call.”

Once the initial inspection is complete and the paperwork is filed with ADHS, Oxley said the clinic could open within a week if there aren’t any problems and everything is up to code.

John Nicolais, the owner of the Tombstone Pharmacy, also owns the Sierra Health Mart in Sierra Vista. The Tombstone store has been serving residents under Nicolais’s ownership since 1995, and he’s been struggling to find new details about the opening of the Tombstone Family Health Clinic.

“I have been trying for a couple of weeks to find out about the opening,” Nicolais said, “but haven’t been able to find out anything.”

Currently, the closest medical center to Tombstone residents is in Sierra Vista, roughly 19 miles away.

Tony Roether, a pharmacist at Tombstone Pharmacy, also has his concerns about the unclear future for Tombstone’s health care center.

“A local clinic would be a lot better for the community,” Roether said. “I would like to see it, I hope they will open it soon.”

Tombstone residents must drive to the Sierra Vista hospital to get their prescriptions written by doctors, but can get their prescriptions filled in Tombstone.

One local resident who is dealing with chronic back pain is Tony Wonderlin. The 46-year-old Tombstone resident is a clerk at the Tombstone Pharmacy and he is frustrated with the lack of available healthcare in Tombstone.

“The Sierra Vista Regional Health Center is not easily accessible if someone needs lab or blood work done,” Wonderlin said. “It kills your gas and takes time to drive there.”

Wonderlin added that the troubles increase for the elderly population or for those who sustain serious injuries. If there is a major emergency, patients must be airlifted to Sierra Vista or wait for an ambulance to arrive from the neighboring city.

Craig Harris, the Sierra Vista Regional Health Center director of business development and main contact for Tombstone Family Health information, said contractual problems have slowed the clinic’s opening, which was slated for July.

“The Tombstone clinic is complete and we are ready to open. However, there is still a contractual issue that needs to be resolved before we can start seeing patients,” Harris said. “We are working diligently on this and hope for a rapid resolution.”

Katie Gonzales, the Sierra Vista clinic coordinator, also commented on the contractual issues. She said they are having problems getting the medical director for the planned center in Tombstone to sign a contract. However, they have hired a nurse practitioner for Tombstone Family Health, according to Gonzales. Lucy Young will be moving from Texas to work in the clinic, Gonzales added.

At this point Tombstone patients will continue to wait for any news about Tombstone Family Health, especially when its doors will open to serve the public.

“I even called the marshals office,” Wonderlin said. “No one knows when the Tombstone clinic will be open, but we need it here bad.”