Update: QuickMed Says FBI Requested Covid Documents
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio – QuickMed Urgent Care said it is cooperating with federal agents and continues to deliver service at all of its locations following an FBI search Wednesday of the health company’s Liberty Township clinic, its corporate offices, the Youngstown City School District and other locations.
Agents have requested access to documents related to Covid-19, Lena Esmail, QuickMed’s CEO, said in a statement. “Federal Bureau of Investigation agents asked for access to documents related to Covid-19, and we’ve satisfied all requests instantaneously. We will continue to work transparently with government authorities,” she said.
“We continue to serve the community with pride, and all of our urgent care centers and school-based clinics will continue to operate as usual,” she continued. “We are proud of the services we provide as the community healthcare partner, and we look forward to providing quality care to the communities we serve for years to come.”
FBI agents executed a search warrant Wednesday morning at QuickMed Urgent Care at 3499 Belmont Avenue.
Approximately 10 officers were still at the scene shortly after 9 a.m. conducting a search of the offices. An FBI agent at the Liberty clinic directed all media inquiries to the FBI’s public affairs office in Cleveland.
According to a statement from Public Affairs Officer Susan Licate, the FBI conducted searches at the Liberty location, QuickMed’s corporate offices and “additional locations.” She also confirmed that the FBI was conducting a court-authorized search at the Youngstown City School District.
“Due to the evolving nature of this matter, no additional information can be shared at this time,” Licate said.
QuickMed has partnered with school districts such as Youngstown to provide on-site health and dental clinics.
In March, WFMJ-TV 21 published a lengthy investigation on former Youngstown City Schools CEO Justin Jennings’ decision to purchase 120,000 Covid-19 rapid tests worth more than $3.6 million from QuickMed when the state of Ohio was offering the tests to school districts at no cost. The tests were purchased between Dec. 30, 2021, and March 1, 2022, the investigation showed. Jennings resigned in June.
QuickMed CEO Lena Esmail responded to the story noting that the school system was following guidelines established by the Center for Disease Control to roll out mass screenings during the Covid crisis. The state’s allocation of 1,000 tests for the school district, she added, was not adequate to cover a vulnerable population.
Esmail established QuickMed Urgent Care in 2019 and has expanded rapidly over the past five years.
The network has since grown to 12 locations across Ohio. The network has clinics in Akron, Austintown, Cortland, Columbiana, Liberty, Warren, Medina, Strongsville, Ravenna, and Youngstown. More recently, QuickMed opened two additional clinics in Dayton and Zanesville.
Esmail has said that she opened the clinics to offset the lack of primary care services across the Mahoning Valley, especially in the aftermath of the closure of Northside Regional Medical Center.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
