The doors opened Monday morning at the new facility of the Cole County Health Department.
The old facility was cramped, making it confusing for clients to check in for appointments and too small for the health department to expand their programs and services, according to Kristi Campbell, the director of the Cole County Health Department.
Just three miles down the road from the old facility, the Truman Boulevard location offers more space for not just their current services, but to start other programs, like community classes diabetes and disease prevention.
The new move is especially important for its supplemental nutrition program: Women, Infants and Children (WIC). Participants of this program come in and meet with specialists about breastfeeding and nutritional advice. The layout of the previous building made it hard to navigate.
“If they had a couple kiddos and their diaper bag and a car seat, they would have to walk back and forth and it would become very cumbersome,” Campbell said. “So at the new building, we have client rooms where our WIC clients will go to one room and our staff will come to them and they will have to transport everything in the building one time.”
The Cole County Health Department now will also have a conference room and designated areas for community classes. Campbell said Cole County residents will be able to come in and learn about different health conditions, such as diabetes.
She said the new building will help the health department reach out to additional community members.
Campbell said the Cole County Commission purchased the building on Truman Boulevard this past June with county funds. The health department moved in a week ago after renovations were done on both the inside and outside of the building.
The old location at 1616 Industrial Dr. is now closed. The new location of the Cole County Health Department is at 3400 W. Truman Boulevard in Jefferson City.