MACON, Ga. — Staff and patients in Hancock County can start getting excited as their renovated Department of Health building prepares to reopen. The building is over 30 years old and receiving big improvements.
Shirley Tucker was born and raised in Hancock County and serves as the nurse manager for the county's department of health. She's been there 25 years and says the building was due for improvements.
"It really needed some renovations, more up-to-date. It was kind of looking kind of dull, so we wanted to kind of brighten it up and hopefully that will kind of inspire the people in the community to come and see, you know, what's going on at the health department," Tucker said.
The department has been out of their building since November of 2018, working out of a large trailer right next to their original building on Boland Street. Tucker said it's been cramped, but they have managed it well.
"It's been challenging, but I think we've handled it very well, being in close proximity with everybody," Tucker said.
The new building has been renovated outdoors and indoors. The outside of the building will now have double-paned windows, improved roof and gutters, an updated exterior, landscaping and parking lot repairs.
Inside the Department of Health building will sport renovated exam rooms, a new conference and reception area and a training room. The building will also include a telehealth room to allow patients to communicate with doctors outside of Hancock County and a teaching kitchen to allow the department to offer healthy cooking and nutrition events.
Public information officer for the North Central Health District Michael Hokanson said it's important for the department to keep up with modern medicine.
"One of the barriers to medical care is, of course, transportation issues. By offering this telemedicine service, we're hoping to address a lot of the barriers to care that a lot of people in Hancock County, which is a very rural county, face when trying to find care for their medical issues.
The improvements were paid for by a combination of sources. The department received a Georgia Department of Community Affairs Community Development Block Grant, a U.S. Department of Agriculture WIC Infrastructure Grant and investment from the Hancock County Board of Commissioners.
Hancock County DOH staff will be transitioning into the new building starting on August 12. There will be no services offered during the switch between the 12th and the 14th. The building will reopen on August 15th.