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PRESS ROOM

FOR  IMMEDIATE  RELEASE

Contact: Carolyn Emanuel-McClain

(803)-439-4179

Margaret J. Weston Community Health Centers Files Voluntary Bankruptcy

To Continue to Provide Quality Care to Patients

CLEARWATER, Dec. 8, 2009 – Margaret J. Weston Community Health Centers announced today that it has filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States bankruptcy code in order to restructure its debt and continue to operate.  This decision comes after the plaintiff in a civil judgment against the Centers refused to accept the Centers’ offer for monthly payments in order to settle the judgment.

“Providing our patients access to quality healthcare is our mission, so Chapter 11 was the best avenue for us to take in order to continue to operate,” said Carolyn Emanuel-McClain, interim CEO of Margaret J. Weston Community Health Centers. “Currently, the decision won’t have an impact on our patients or on the services that we provide.”

A $500,000 civil judgment against Margaret J. Weston Community Health Centers prompted the filing. The judgment stems from the improper termination of an employee at the Margaret J. Weston Center more than five years ago.

About Margaret J. Weston Community Health Centers

The mission of Margaret J. Weston Community Health Centers is to provide accessible, quality, comprehensive primary health care in a dignified and culturally competent manner to the population in Aiken County and surrounding areas. The organization, which was incorporated in March of 1970, employs 31 staff members, and it has offices in Clearwater, Jackson and Aiken. In 2008, Margaret J. Weston Community Health Centers served over 6,000 patients and provided approximately 17,000 medical visits.