By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
The Wood County Health Department will use federal funds for an extensive renovation of the Health Center, Health Commissioner Ben Robison told the Health Board Thursday.
Last month, the department was invited to apply for a grant of $517,100 from the federal Health Resources and Service Administration. The catch was that the plan to spend the money had to be submitted by June 24.
The plan calls for converting the courtyard in the building into a larger pharmacy.
Robison said: “We offered up the courtyard because we don’t know what we’ll do with it.”
The larger pharmacy will not only improve service, including a space for the pharmacist to consult with patients, but also bring in more revenue to the center.
Also, the plan calls for adding six exam rooms, a staff laundry, and space for behavioral health counselors and enlarging the waiting area.
“This request is the best use of space to include in our application to HRSA,” Robison said. “This is the first critical step to secure the funding.”
He credited Health Center CEO Diane Krill with mobilizing county resources to get this initial plan together.
While the application must be in by June 24, the project has a three-year timeline for completion, which starts when the grant is awarded. Robison expects that to be sometime in fall.
This gives the department some flexibility of when to start. Robison said they may wait because of the current high price of construction.
All the work can be done with the grant, he said. However, the Health Department would have to redirect some funds to provide equipment for the exam rooms.
