By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The opportunity to bring in a federal grant has started the Health Department thinking about its future building needs.
The department has received an invitation to apply for $517,000 from the federal Health Resources and Service Administration to meet needs at the Health Center.
The application, though, has to be submitted by the end of June. “So we have to act urgently,” he told the Board of Health last week..
The center would not automatically get the funds, he said. It must provide drawings and other details for its project.
First, though, they need to determine what that project will be.
Robison said he’s seeking ideas from board members as to what needs they feel the center has.
The demand at the Health Center is there, he said. They are running 23 percent ahead of projections of the number of patients with an expectation of serving 3,300, unduplicated patients a year.
“This is exciting, but it’s also scary anytime we’re looking at an expansion project,” said Health Center CEO Diane Krill.
There are no areas in the center that are suitable for renovation. Any changes would mean expansion.
“Our pharmacy is quite small. We definitely would benefit from a larger space,” she said.
Other possibilities are more examining rooms or bringing in more specialists or contracting with an outside provider to do lab work at the center.
Board member DJ Mears said, as a patient, he sees a definite need for more waiting room space. He’s surprised the center has not already been required to do so.
Board President Cathy Nelson suggested that the Health Center needs to bring its services out into the county.
Krill said a medical-dental mobile unit has been considered. This would also allow the services to be brought into schools, something the department has wanted to do.
Some health centers, she said, are devoting their federal dollars to get as much of a mobile unit as they can.
“If that’s what the biggest need is, if that’s going to meet that gap, that’s direction we should go,” she said.
Robison said he has already let County Administrator Andrew Kalmar know that this is all in the works.
This gives the board a chance to also look further down the road at other needs, including at the Health Department. Those decisions are years off, he said, and while the discussion may be spurred by the HRSA money, it will not have to meet the same deadline.
The department does not have the space crunch as the center, and a renovation project may be what is needed.
In either case, Robison said, he would like to push any construction off until construction costs settle down.
