ATHOL — Local health care providers have been swamped with people seeking new primary care doctors following North Quabbin Family Physicians’ closure two months ago.

Allison van der Velden, CEO of the Community Health Center of Franklin County, said her health care organization has seen an influx of new patients since Feb. 15, when Dr. Donald E. Mruk’s death forced his practice to close. The Community Health Center of Franklin County has added about 640 new patients across its Orange, Turners Falls and Greenfield sites this year, though the data does not distinguish which patients joined due to North Quabbin Family Physicians’ closure.

“They had a lot of patients on their panel,” van der Velden said. “I actually think it’s going pretty well.”

North Quabbin Family Physicians had served the region for at least 40 years.

Van der Velden, who mentioned her organization accepted 53 new patients last week alone, said the volume of patients is not as much of an issue as the sudden influx is. The Community Health Center is still accepting new patients and anyone who is interested should call the main line at 413-325-8500.

Susannah Whipps, who represents the North Quabbin region in the state House of Representatives, has been actively involved in providing support for the people who were suddenly left without a primary care physician. She said many constituents have called her district office in need of guidance.

“I mean, we’re really in a desert out this way, when it come to primary care doctors,” Whipps said.

Whipps recommends calling the Community Health Center of Franklin County or visiting Heywood Healthcare’s website to find a new provider.

CleanSlate, part of a system of alcohol and drug addiction rehabilitation centers, is now the only active space at 201 South Main St. in Athol, where North Quabbin Family Physicians was also located.

A letter taped to North Quabbin Family Physicians’ door offers suggestions for patients in need of another health care provider. It recommends contacting the Massachusetts Medical Society’s customer service line, which operates from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, at 781-893-4610 or 781-893-3800. People can also visit tinyurl.com/FindPhysician.

The letter states that health care providers will need copies of new patients’ medical records, which can be obtained through morganrecordsmanagement.com. The letter lists several options for people in need of immediate medical attention. This list includes Tully Walk-In Care at 81 Reservoir Drive in Athol for urgent care and Athol Hospital at 2033 Main St. in Athol for an emergency room.

Whipps mentioned she was deeply saddened when she heard about Mruk’s death.

“Dr. Mruk was a wonderful doctor,” she recalled. “He took really good care of my father.”

A separate letter taped to North Quabbin Family Physicians’ door serves as an obituary. It states Mruk was born to Edward and Genevieve Mruk on Feb. 25, 1954, and he always had a love for the environment, hiking, hunting, fishing and cross-country skiing. He enrolled at American International College in 1972 with plans to become a teacher, but his biology professor encouraged him to apply to medical school. Mruk graduated from AIC magna cum laude in 1976 and from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester in 1979.

Mruk then completed his three-year residency at St. Clare’s Hospital in Schenectady, New York, and in 1983 joined Dr. Myron Maron and helped him build North Quabbin Family Physicians, eventually becoming the owner.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.