By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

VICTORIA — A rural health care center in Victoria closed its doors Monday.

According to David Karlin, executive director of Via Christi Village, an assisted-living center in Hays, Via Christi Health had sponsored the rural health center since 2007.

The nonprofit had asked the city of Victoria to take over the clinic’s operations so Via Christi could provide more focus on its assisted-living centers.

“Members of Via Christi met with the Victoria City Council recently, and the city expressed their desire to not take over city sponsorship,” Karlin said. “Additionally, Via Christi members met with other health care providers in the area, and no other organizations expressed taking over sponsorship.”

Karlin, who formerly worked at the Victoria clinic, said the clinic operated within limited hours but provided important rural health care access for individuals in Victoria and the surrounding areas.

“It was a wonderful service and will be missed by the community. Hopefully somebody may choose to provide services in Victoria in the near future,” Karlin said. “It is a loss to the community, and I understand if people are grieving about the loss.”