Jefferson County Commissioners and Public Health Director Pam Hanna have expressed interest in the County purchasing The River building on Main Street to fulfill the department’s need for expansion.
This was the main topic of discussion of the commissioners’ Oct. 18 meeting at Volunteer Hall, where there was a small crowd of curious community members.
During the meeting, Commissioner Leonard Wortman said the Public Health Department has essentially outgrown its current location at 214 S. Main Street, which it shares with the SCL Medical Group clinic.
“The room over there is pretty tight, and adding offices to that building wouldn’t necessarily solve the spacing issues the health department has,” he said, “so there has been some discussion to build a new building somewhere, which is very pricey.”
While brainstorming solutions for this issue, Wortman said he had a conversation with Greg Hughes at The River before he closed his doors. Hughes said he was open to having the commissioners and Public Health Department representatives tour the building and see if it would fit the need.
Wortman and Hanna took Hughes up on this, and, according to Wortman, the building seemed to “be a good fit.”
Community member Connie Grenz came forward at the meeting, asking if the Public Health Department needs all 5,000 square feet of building.
“I just want a place that is accessible to clients, safe and has room for expansion,” Hanna told The Monitor following the meeting. “The main objective is to have a building that suits all our needs.”
Such an objective comes at a cost. The appraisal for The River building, for example, is $545,000, and this does not include the costs to renovate the building to address the needs of the Public Health Department. Wortman said Montana law requires the county cannot go over the appraised price when making an offer.
Grenz asked Hanna and the commissioners if there were any other buildings they were looking into for public health. She brought up the Boulder Cash building (209 N. Main Street) and asked about buildings on the South Campus.
“One of those buildings would cost more than $2 million to renovate and another would cost over $1 million,” Wortman said of the latter, the reason being the buildings are in poor condition.
Finding a place to accommodate the Public Health Department’s growth has been tremendously challenging. Hanna said she knows such a process takes time, but she also knows it’s in the best interest of the public and is needed sooner rather than later.
According to Hanna, building expansion would provide improved quality and access to care.
“As an example, one of the services JCHD provides for our community is vaccination,” she said. “In 2019, our nurses administered 975 vaccines. In 2021, we administered 3,633 vaccinations. Accommodating this type of need requires an adequate waiting and immunization room.”
Other needs Hanna said she hopes to address with expansion include adding an office space for a mental health provider, increasing space to expand community integrated health in the county, and incorporating a multi-use room to allow for support groups, prevention activities and education.
Hanna said options for expansion largely point in the direction of a new building or the purchasing of a building to remodel.
Ultimately Hanna said the Public Health Department facility “needs to be accessible, safe and have room to accommodate growth.”
In order to get this facility, Hanna said, the time to act is now, as funding is available.
“Currently there are various workforce funding opportunities that would allow us to hire workers to support COVID response and recovery,” she said. “Some of that funding will expire at the end of this fiscal year. There is hope that renewal of workforce funding will extend for three to five more years.”
Jefferson County Commissioner Cory Kirsch told The Monitor after the meeting that the county is in the preliminary stages of looking for funding.
“We are hoping a big share of the cost will be covered by grants,” he said. “We have other funding sources available if the project deems feasible, including more [American Rescue Plan Act] funding and low-interest government loans. I am currently working on getting an estimate for the remodel, which will greatly determine the feasibility of this project.”
According to Jefferson County Grant Facilitator Leah Lewis, there is still $139,079.55 available for public health services through ARPA. The ARPA funds, Hanna said, are another example of why it’s important to move forward on fulfilling the department’s needs, needs that will only increase if there’s inaction.
“Jefferson County is a rural jurisdiction with an aging population,” she said. “We also have a growing population. Our population will continue to require more resources and services. Our county is one of few without the structural healthcare network of a hospital. Access to healthcare, social supports and prevention services is fundamental to good health.”
Discussion on the The River building was tabled and will continue when commissioners have a better idea of what it will cost to renovate the building according to the needs of the Public Health Department.
