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GREENWOOD Dist.–Less than a year after Juno Medical opened a Black-owned clinic on Black Wall Street in Historic Greenwood District, the business closes its doors.
A sign posted on the door reading “operations at Juno Medical in Tulsa have ceased as of end of business on Feb 26, 2024,” was the only warning patients received, News on 6 reported.
“As such, we are not able to provide any appointments for ongoing medical care. However we locally will still be responding to messages and requests through our website for the next 30 days,” the notice continued.
Dr. Jabraan Pasha, a Tulsa native, is the Executive Director of Juno Medical in Tulsa. He’s also a fellow from the Aspen Institute’s Global Innovators Group. One of the group’s policy focuses include advancing health and equity leadership.
In a phone call with the Black Wall Street Times Thursday, Aspen Global Innovators Group Executive Director Lola Adedokun said support for investing in health equity is lacking. She noted how the sudden closure comes at the end of Black History Month during a time when commitments were made to boost health equity.
“Promises were made to keep them going. And not only that, to double down investments, and enabling them to thrive. Those promises are not necessarily being honored when and where we need,” Adedokun said.
The branch’s executive director Dr. Jabraan Pasha and Leah Upton released a joint statement:
The entire Juno Tulsa team was shocked and saddened by the abrupt closing of our clinic by Juno Headquarters. Although we are all still processing this unexpected outcome, we are committed to making sure that all of our patients have their immediate care needs met.
The information that we were given about our closing was that Juno lost support from a national investor, which significantly impacted the company’s financials. As a result, the decision was made to shut down Juno’s two newest clinics, Atlanta and Tulsa.
The decision to close our office was no reflection of the care that we have been providing to the Tulsa community. We were growing steadily and making positive impacts on the lives of many Tulsans. This was reflected in our patient satisfaction scores of 95%, which is unheard of in healthcare.
We have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support received from patients, community members and local leaders. It is clear that what we were doing was, in fact, working. The desire and need for innovative and community-focused healthcare on Greenwood is more apparent than ever.
Our team is exploring all options to reopen. We remain optimistic that a solution that is best for our community will be reached.
Sincerely,
Drs. Jabraan Pasha & Leah Upton
Juno Medical closes on Black Wall Street
Opening to a large crowd of supporters, Juno Medical in Tulsa became the first Black-owned medical clinic on Black Wall Street in over 50 years. Juno is a Black-owned, healthcare startup with locations in Harlem, Brooklyn and Atlanta. The company chose Tulsa native Dr. Jabraan Pasha to lead its Greenwood branch.
Morton Comprehensive Health Services, located at 1334 N. Lansing, remains one of just a few medical clinics in all of north Tulsa.
The location at 21 North Greenwood sits just feet away from the historic medical practice of Dr. Andrew Chesteen Jackson, a famous Black Wall Street surgeon who was shot at point-blank range during the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre.
In an interview with Dr. Pasha after the July 2023 grand opening, he detailed his mission to expand access, improve life expectancy and advance health equity.
“We just try to bring convenience to health care, which doesn’t exist. And our most important value is excellence. So, if you bring convenience and excellence to health care you’ve got a winning recipe, and we think we do,” Dr. Pasha told the Black Wall Street Times last year.
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“Blindsided”
Over the last few years Black Wall Street has experienced a resurgence in tourism and support for a rebirth. Juno Medical symbolized an important piece of that rebirth as residents in majority-Black north Tulsa face a more than 10-year life expectancy gap with residents on the south side, according to Tulsa’s Equality Indicators report.
The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, redlining in the 30s and 40s and urban renewal in the 50s and 60s continue to negatively impact disparate health outcomes in the city. Juno Medical was expected to serve as a key pillar in the push toward health equity.
Meanwhile, patients who spoke with News on 6 say they felt blindsided at the news that Juno Medical closes its doors.
The Black Wall Street Times has reached out Dr. Jabraan Pasha for comment.