$5 million facility double the size of current building

Building a new building for the Barry County Health Department had never been on Administrator Roger Brock’s mind before a couple of years ago, but opportunity knocked and the door opened.

Funded entirely through the American Rescue Plan Act, the department has now broken ground on a $5 million facility on Old Exeter Road, next to where the new Barry County jail and sheriff’s office are also being constructed.

The health department has operated in its current building on Main Street since 1954, and before then, it housed a restaurant from the 1930s through WWII.

“It’s been added onto over the years, but this new building will allow us to increase workspace and provide better service to the community,” Brock said. “It’s a maze to get through the current building, and the back is the front and front is the back, so it can confuse people.”

Offices are a challenge in the current facility, as some employees are sharing spaces. The new building will double the department’s size to about 12,000 square feet.

“It will be better for the staff being forced to share offices now, and it will be better privacy for clients when they come in, giving easier access to oneon- one care and helping us be more HIPAA-compliant,” Brock said. “To get the opportunity to build a facility to better help the people of the county for so many years to come is a great opportunity.”

The American Rescue Plan Act was enacted in March 2021 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Brock is excited to have secured the funding.

“If the commission had not come to me with that to help fund it, we wouldn’t be able to do it,” he said. “We still had to fill out all the applications and get approval. Before then, we had never considered a new building because we couldn’t think of any scenario where we would not have to borrow money, and we did not want to do that.

“I want to thank the commission for that opportunity.”

The future of the current building, Brock said, is still being determined.

“The board has discussed leasing or selling it,” he said. “We may have to use it for storage for a little while too. Once we get transferred fully, the board will look at options them.”

The Barry County Health Department serves about 13,500 per year, with the most-utilized services being WIC with 5,820 individuals, vital records with 3,196 individuals, and immunizations with 1,516 individuals.

The department also manages environmental concerns, including wastewater permits (207 issued last year), inspections (160) and repairs; food service inspections (306); child care inspections; lodging inspections; and wastewater sample collection.