Moving into the new Cole County Health Department building five years ago was like moving into a new house, Health Department Director Kristi Campbell said.
Campbell said she and her staff didn't know exactly how the space would be used when the department moved into its building at 3400 W. Truman Blvd. in October of 2018.
As staff members have gotten used to the building and figured out what they need to run the department effectively, they've had to make some changes.
Chief among these changes was the construction of a new driveway this year. Architects began drafting plans for the driveway in 2022, and construction broke ground in January.
Jeff Schnieders Construction Company finished the driveway in late March as part of a $180,000 contract funded by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).
Previously, the facility was accessible by a single entrance and exit on Constitution Drive, which limited access and made it challenging for large vehicles to maneuver in the parking lot.
The new driveway connects the facility's lot to West Truman Boulevard, adding a second entrance and exit that allows better traffic flow and more navigability for large vehicles.
Similar to the driveway, Campbell and her staff determined the inside of the facility could use some improvements as well.
In June, Campbell went before the Cole County Commission with a contract to renovate four rooms at the health department building.
On Monday, she said those renovations were motivated by a desire for efficiency and safety.
One of the rooms undergoing renovation is the facility's blood draw room.
"We realized some of the cabinets were older -- some didn't even match. The other thing is we have a lab draw chair where people would sit and have their blood drawn. It didn't recline or anything, so we've had the situation where people feel faint or get light-headed, and there was no way to lay them down," Campbell said.
She said having a different layout and a chair that reclines for people who don't like needles or who feel faint is safer for both clients and nurses.
The renovations also include some offices, including the one used by nurse practitioner Heather Hynes, Campbell said. She said the renovations revealed a leak in a cabinet that had rotted some of the wood and may have even caused some mold to grow.
Construction crews are also tearing down a wall between two small offices to make a bigger office for the clinic manager.
"It'll be really nice to have all that done," she said.
Those renovations come at a price tag of $46,050, which is funded by an Epidemiology for Lab Capacity (ELC) grant from DHSS. GBH Builders is performing the work and is expected to finish by mid-December, Campbell said.
Just last week, another improvement was completed at the health department building.
As part of a larger contract that included the Carnegie building -- where the assessor's office is located -- and Cole County Courthouse annex, Bee Seen Signs just finished installing a new awning at the health department facility.
"They were moldy and nasty. They did not look good and needed to be replaced," Campbell said.
The contract covering awning replacements across the county's facilities totaled $24,342.
Campbell has also overseen various technological upgrades for the health department.
In August 2022, commissioners approved the use of $17,471 of American Rescue Plan Act funds to purchase three new radios for the department.
In April, Campbell received commissioner approval to upgrade her department's appointment reminder services. Before the upgrade, she said a nurse manually sent out appointment reminders to patients, taking nurses away from other duties.
With the new plan with Patagonia Health, an app automatically sends reminders, saving the time of Campbell's nurses. That upgrade was covered by the ELC grant.
In May, Campbell secured $16,000 to purchase new keyboards, scanners, video conferencing equipment and a computer on wheels.
Now, as the commission works to finalize the 2024 Cole County budget, Campbell and other county officials are seeking more upgrades and repairs for the department, both inside and outside.
Campbell said among the requests in the budget are a new iPad to expedite patient check-in at the facility and several TVs to keep patients occupied while they wait for appointments.
On the outside of the building, she said Cole County Public Works requested money to install a sprinkler system outside of the facility. She said public works put in some new landscaping in the grassy area between the facility and West Truman Boulevard when the new driveway was finished.
The current sprinkler system isn't working, Campbell said, forcing public works employees to manually water the new landscaping, as public works is responsible for managing county grounds.
"So they asked for a sprinkler system to be put in to help with the longevity of the plants and save staff time," Campbell said.
Public works requested $11,000 in the county's capital improvement budget for the sprinkler system.
Maintenance director Greg Camp also made some requests regarding the health department. Specifically, he requested $150,000 for exterior paint and repairs and $285,000 to replace outdoor siding.
"I suspect if we put new siding on we probably won't need very much painting or repairs. So I imagine those two budget items might be combined and not be as much as he asked for," Campbell said.
The siding does need some repairs, she said. Campbell said she wasn't sure when the building was constructed, but it's definitely time for some maintenance.
Camp said he included two requests because he wasn't sure what direction commissioners would want to take. He said the $150,000 would just be to repaint existing siding, while the larger charge would be to replace the siding with pre-painted materials.
"It's a sticky situation. Some of the siding is good, some of it's not. We're just gonna have to determine how far we want to go with the project," Camp said.
Those requests have made their way into previous years' budget requests. Camp asked for $150,000 to paint the facility's exterior in the 2023 budget and $125,000 for the same purpose in the 2021 budget.
Whether those fixes will come to fruition this year won't be known until later. The commission still has to approve the 2024 budget, including funds for capital improvements, and even then there's no guarantee those projects will move forward.
Outside of upgrades to technology, necessary repairs and active renovations, Campbell said she didn't really have any other improvements in mind for the future.
"When we first moved in, they repainted and put all new flooring in. The flooring has a lifetime warranty -- it's like vinyl plank -- and it's holding up very well," Campbell said. "The lab was kind of our big thing and the offices. I think after five years we're finally getting around to those renovations that we've been thinking about for a little while."
Julie Smith/News Tribune photo: Now that the Cole County Health Department has been in its current location for five years, they have learned what works well and what changes needed to be made. To that end, the county approved funds to renovate, update and convert space for different uses. Contractors have been ripping out old and replacing or rebuilding necessary items like wallboard, cabinets and flooring in some areas. This was a conference room that was not frequently used and will be two offices.