Greene County’s new $6M health facility taking shape

The Greene County Combined Health District is months away from moving into a multi-million-dollar facility more than twice the size of its current building.

Construction on the new 28,000-square-foot two-story facility is in the final stages, and officials expect to move out of the current 42-year-old, 13,000-square-foot, one-story building in June.

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Shook Construction is the contractor on the $6 million project at 360 Wilson Drive. Workers are finishing drywall, painting, tile installation in bathrooms, and prepping for electrical wiring work, according to Laurie Fox, Greene County public health spokeswoman.

The current building, which officials describe as cramped with poor air circulation, will be demolished to make room for a new parking lot, Fox said.

“The county will have 30 days to remove and sell items from the current building once we are out,” she said.

Prioritized services under the combined health district are scheduled to move over the weekend from June 8-11: Vital Statistics, where deaths records are kept; Women, Infants & Children, a nutrition program for low-income children; Environmental Health Services; and Five Rivers Greene County Health Center, where dozens of families receive medical care.

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“We have done a great deal of advance planning,” Fox said. “All employees have been tasked over the last year to begin the arduous process of purging old files, archiving those that are necessary to archive, clearing clutter, and getting personal spaces in order before the move occurs.”

Five Rivers Greene County Health Center will lease space in the public health building. The health center opened in Greene County in April 2017, and served approximately 1,400 patients last year, according to Kim Bramlage, Five Rivers Health Centers spokeswoman.

The new facility will enable Five Rivers to expand services, and more staff is expected to be hired in the future as they are going from three exam rooms to eight and two dental chairs to four.

“The larger space will allow us to continue to grow and offer more services in the future, possibly telemedicine, CENTERING programs for pregnant women and other unique services,” Five Rivers Health Centers CEO Gina McFarlane-El said in a prepared statement.

A grand opening is planned for August. Before then, the health district plans to release four videos about the new building via social media on April 25, May 9, May 23 and June 6.

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