HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — Leaders broke ground Thursday morning on an expansion of the county's health department offices on Cohen Walker Drive.
The roughly 12,000 square foot addition adds expanded dental clinics and examination rooms and a WIC office. There's even a drive-through vaccination window.
It will cost the county about $5.7 million.
Tommy Stalnaker, Chairman of the Houston County Board of Commission said, "They have outgrown the square footage that they currently have for the services they need to provide. It is something that has been considered for a long time and we had an opportunity to go ahead and give them the additional square footage."
Warner Robins Mayor LaRhonda Patrick says the new facility will increase access to affordable healthcare in Houston County. "In the current state of our economy alone, the inflation that we're dealing with, people are having to make a decision on if they're going to pay their rent, their mortgage, or they're going to pay for their healthcare and that's absolutely unacceptable."
The department plans to hire nurses when the project is complete.
The new building is set to open next spring.