Until further notice, what was supposed to be the city’s new health clinic is just another empty building on Fremont Street.

According to previous reports, Sierra Vista Regional Health Center was scheduled to open the Tombstone Family Health Clinic in October, but more than three months later, Tombstone is still without a clinic, and SVRHC is not disclosing why.

“At this point in time we do not have any new information,” said Linda Kamrowski, SVRHC marketing and public relations manager.

SVRHC is not releasing any information about the health clinic, its tentative opening date or whether they have received the state permit required to open the clinic.

Laura Jones, the city secretary, said the city does not have any information about the clinic or its progress—it’s in the hands of SVRHC.

According to previous reports, SVRHC will employ a part-time physician and a part-time physician’s assistant in the building that used to be City Hall.

After almost two years of operating there, City Hall moved out of the building last September, Jones said. The reason for the move: grant funds built the building specifically to be a clinic.

For now, though, Tombstone residents and visitors will just have to wait.

John Nicolais, owner of Tombstone Pharmacy, said when the health clinic does open, he expects people will use it.

“We’re hoping it will make it easier to see a doctor,” he said.

Nicolais added, though, that most everyone has to make trips to Sierra Vista anyway, so out-of-town doctor visits are not usually an inconvenience.

Nicolais thinks having a health clinic in town will benefit the pharmacy.

“We’re hoping we’ll be able to provide even more services to the community,” he said.

Carey Granger, senior tour guide at the Good Enough Mine, remembered hearing that a clinic was supposed to open.

“They’ve been trying for years to get something in there,” he said. “If they do get that clinic open that would be a good thing.”

Granger said the city could use a clinic or emergency center, especially since it takes 35 minutes for an ambulance to respond to the Tombstone area.

Many locals remember times when an in-town clinic would have been helpful. They say there was an incident in which a child cut his leg, and another in which someone had a heart attack and had to be flown into Tucson.

Some people will not even move to Tombstone because there is not a health clinic.

For many residents and workers, a health clinic would bring a sense of security.

“It would be nice to know there’s a clinic right here in town,” Granger said, adding a clinic is especially needed when tourists are in town.

According to the City of Tombstone Web site, Tombstone gets more than 400,000 visitors each year.

Granger said on big weekends the population doubles.

“We need better medical support,” he said. “Anyone in town will tell you that.”