FRANKLIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — Fertility patients start treatment knowing there might be a long road ahead, but by no means do they expect their clinic to close and to wind up in a legal fight.
In April, that's exactly what's happened to patients at the Center for Reproductive Health.
I am committed to supporting those 650 patients by continuing to shine a light on this unprecedented situation.
"This hasn't really happened that much in this country or elsewhere where a clinic closes so quickly," said Dr. Christopher Montville, the medical director of the Tennessee Fertility Institute.
One week after CRH stopped seeing patients, an embryologist from TFI took over their lab.
"The liquid nitrogen tank, the levels within the dewars can typically stay fairly constant every 2-3 weeks, so it's not that you have to check it every single day, but they were there on a weekly basis," Dr. Montville said.
On Wednesday, August 21, the tissue finally made the journey to their facility in Franklin. TFI just took in the precious embryos, eggs, and sperm that belong to CRH patients. According to my source, there were roughly 1,200 pieces of genetic material at CRH.
"Their tissue is safe. It's now being monitored by experts here in the field locally, and that will hopefully give them some comfort. What was once a scary situation that no one was sure what was going to happen, it's now in a controlled environment and that should give them some comfort," Dr. Montville said.
Right now, Dr. Montville said his team is examining each sample, matching it with electronic medical records, and making sure nothing was damaged at the CRH lab. The lab was said to be disorganized and decades out of date.
"Even though this may have taken longer than what any of us may have wanted it to, we've done it, I think, the right way," he said.
Inventory is expected to take a total of three weeks.
While patients are not obligated to become TFI patients, the clinic is offering them free embryo storage for a year for everyone. Additionally, patients who already paid CRH for a transfer or retrieval will receive one frozen embryo cycle at no cost. Patients can call the clinic at 615-721-6250 to set up an appointment or consultation.
Like us, we know some of you want to help the families that are stuck in limbo. If you want to donate to patients who want to restart their fertility treatments, visit this GoFundMe.
Did the sudden closure of the Center for Reproductive Health affect you? Hannah wants to hear your story. Email her at Hannah.McDonald@newschannel5.com.
How we got here
I first started writing on this when patients shared with me that their fertility clinic shut down with no warning.
The staff received a letter reading in part, "Unforeseen circumstances have led to a financial deficit. Regrettably, you will not receive your paychecks tomorrow."
From there, the floodgates opened with stories from women and their experiences at the clinic. As we searched for answers, the Tennessee Attorney General and the Metro Nashville Police Department opened investigations.
On top of that, we learned that one of the providers at the clinic, Farere Dyer, didn't have licensing through Tennessee. He wasn't licensed to perform procedures, including intrauterine insemination or in vitro fertilization procedures. Each of the procedures helps women get pregnant.
Did this affect you?
If you were a patient or employee at the Center for Reproductive Health, investigators want to talk with you. They do ask that you contact all three agencies.
The Metro Nashville Police Department has created a special email box where people can file complaints and share information about possible criminal activity involving the Center for Reproductive Health.
That email address is CRHcomplaint@nashville.gov. Those emails will go directly to the Special Victims Division of the police department.
Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti sued Dr. Vasquez and the Center for Reproductive Health under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, seeking immediate relief to patients caused by Dr. Vasquez’s unexpected suspension of patient care and the sudden closure of his clinic. To file a complaint, you can complete a complaint form here or you can call (615) 741-4737 or toll-free inside Tennessee at 1-(800)-342-8385.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
