Local allergy clinic announces closure, leaving many people in a lurch

Family Allergy and Asthma in Oxford will be permanently shutting its doors at the end of May. For people who go there regularly to receive allergy shots and other immunotherapy services, the timing of this closing could not have been worse, since students and residents are in the midst of peak allergy season.

Michael Lu, a junior supply chain and operation management major, goes to Family Allergy around twice a week to receive allergy shots.

“I’ve been going to Family Allergy and Asthma since my freshman year [at Miami University],” Lu said.

For Lu and other local patients, having allergy and immunotherapy treatments available nearby added a perk. “It’s so close,” Lu said. “People can drive there, get your shot and get out. It's super quick, super easy.”

The decision to close Oxford’s Family Allergy and Asthma was not made lightly.

Oxford’s Family Allergy and Asthma is only open two days out of the week, Tuesday and Thursday. Dr. Hans Otto said even though there are a large number of patients that visit on those days, the amount of money the clinic is earning is equal to the cost of its year long lease. With the lease ending in May, the doctors decided not to renew it.

In a statement given to The Miami Student, Michael Tanoury, chief operations officer of Family Allergy and Asthma, said they tried to find other allergy doctors to continue the process.

“Unfortunately, when the physician who covered the Oxford location chose not to renew his contract, we were unable to find long-term coverage for the office,” Tanoury wrote in an email. “We were hoping we would be able to keep our office open in Oxford, but we couldn’t make it work.”

There are no local alternatives for services provided by Family Allergy and Asthma. McCullough-Hyde Hospital and Miami Student Health Services will not offer allergy shots or other immunotherapy treatments. For local patients, the nearest alternative is a Family Allergy and Asthma office in Fairfield, which is about a 35-minute drive from Oxford, which can be challenging for students without cars.

During this high-allergy season, Lu and other residents who utilize these services will need to find an alternative to supplement their allergies.

“Unfortunately, I'm probably going to have to switch over to a different company,” Lu said. “I'm gonna search around and see what other services are closer than their other branches. Hopefully, [I’ll] either get retested or get my results sent there to make the serum and start that process going.”

Trying to find closer places to receive allergy treatments proved to be more difficult for students like Lu, who frequently utilized these services. For patients without a car, or who can’t fit a 35- minute car ride into their schedule, this closure has made getting treatment for allergies more of a chore.

“[The closing] is such a shame,” Lu said. “I see a lot of people going there,” Lu said, “I know their other locations are more than half an hour away, so that's really inconvenient.”