Groundbreaking for New County Health Department Slated for 2009
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When the Lowndes County Health Department began showing severe signs of age and disrepair, officials knew constructing a new facility would soon be inevitable. With the help of a $600,000 Community Development Block Grant awarded by the Mississippi Development Authority, that new facility will become a reality by 2011.
“Constructed in the 1950s, the current health department has been in constant repair over the past 20 years for various problems, including electrical and plumbing failure,” says Karen McPherson , district administrator for Tombigbee Public Health District IV , which serves Lowndes County. “The temperature is inconsistent due to old heating and cooling units, lack of insulation, and drafty windows and doors. Also, the building has an old elevator that breaks down often and is the only means for elderly and disabled patients to get to clinic rooms.”
The cost of renovating the existing building was not feasible in comparison to the cost of a new building, so plans to construct a new health department on a piece of property located on Chubby Lane began in early 2009.
“The new county health department is in the early stages of development,” McPherson says. “Designing the plans will begin in April 2009. After approved by the Board of Supervisors, the plans will go out for bids between spring and early summer. A groundbreaking day will occur as soon as construction is ready to begin in late summer or early fall 2009.”
The new facility is expected to take about 18 months to complete.
“It will be a big improvement on the old one because it will be in a more desirable location, just off Highway 45 and Bluecutt Road,” McPherson says. “The waiting time should be reduced as a result of a better design for patient flow, and waiting rooms will be more spacious and have kid-friendly areas for children to play.”
The health department will also have a new parking lot with more spaces for staff and patients, and patient confidentiality will be better protected with the sign-in and intake areas.
McPherson anticipates that the volume of services the Lowndes County Health Department already provides will be greatly increased with the new facility. Those services include childhood immunizations, seasonal flu shots, family planning, applications for birth and death certificates, blood tests for marriage licenses, WIC, Medicaid screenings, restaurant inspections, home health services and more.
In addition to the Community Development Block Grant, the facility will be paid for with earnings from interest accumulated by the county for the sale of the county’s hospital to the Baptist Hospital System. The Mississippi State Department of Health is also exploring opportunities to assist with funding for additional square footage and furnishings by looking into the economic stimulus package.
Story by Jessica Mozo
