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Posted: 10/22/18
Jacksonville Health Unit Announces Renovated Facility
Little Rock, Ark. – The Jacksonville Health Unit is hosting a ribbon cutting to highlight the recent facility renovations which increased its size by over 1800 sq. feet and enhanced its range of services and accommodations to better serve its growing community.
“The expansion will meet the increased needs of our clients. It allows us to reach more people in surrounding communities and bring more attention to services we offer in our health unit,” said Patricia Henderson, the administrator of the Jacksonville Health Unit. “It will also benefit the community in planning, implementing and evaluating the needs in municipal preparedness events.”
The renovations, a collaborative effort between local leadership and the ADH, provide space for clients to receive services in a more efficient way and allow for an increase in number of scheduled appointments. The unit resurfaced the parking lot and waiting room area to comfortably fit larger crowds. In the past, the waiting room could comfortably seat 15 clients; the new waiting room can seat up to 40.
“Investing in our citizens is always a net positive,” said Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde. “A thriving community and workforce is predicated on the overall health and well-being of its citizens.”
The health unit will now be able to serve up to 51 appointments every day, a 150 percent increase from its former 20-appointment maximum. In addition to serving more clients, it will now include updated exam rooms and an emergency triage room to prioritize a patient’s condition in an emergency situation or for incidents like bioterrorism.
Other additions will accommodate some specialized needs in the community, including an increased WIC area for breastfeeding and counseling. The updated waiting room will also allow more space for handicapped clients, and the bathrooms will now be handicap accessible. The updated clerical check-in section will now give clients more privacy as they come for various services.
The grand reopening was marked by a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday morning with remarks from Mayor Gary Fletcher, Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde, and Don Adams, the ADH Center Director for Local Public Health.
“As healthcare facilitators, we must always move forward to meet the needs of our communities, and Jacksonville has certainly taken the proper steps in the right direction with these renovations,” Adams said. “It will now be able to serve more people every day and help make the Jacksonville community a healthier place to live.”
The renovations cost about $600,000 altogether, and the amount was collected from local tax funds, cash donations and in-kind services.
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