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,~ <br />Ken Redfoot made a presentation of the floor plan in detail. He said that the plan has <br />been carefully analyzed by staff and he feels very good about how it is functioning. <br />Commissioner McKee said that his understanding of closing the facility in Carrboro was <br />for cost savings. He sees a cost savings of approximately $113,000 and a resulting expense <br />of $1.47 million. He said that there is a disconnect here. <br />Pam Jones said that part of it is that the dental clinic was part of the space study that <br />was started in 2000. The existing clinic is maxed out in space and the amount of patients and <br />there is old technology that needs to be updated. The plan had been to move the dental clinic <br />to a bigger area since the year 2000. It is not because of a cost savings, but because of the <br />need for space. Another part of it was that the space is being leased. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that, in fairness to Commissioner McKee, he thought this <br />was a very incomplete agenda abstract. He said that under Financial Impact, there is no <br />commentary about where this money came from and what it is. He said that if the County is <br />seriously considering trying to pursue a different facility (i.e., UNC Hospital branch in <br />Hillsborough), then he does not understand why this renovation should last 12-15 years. <br />Health Director Rosemary Summers said that the future of the UNC expansion is <br />uncertain at this point and does not warrant the County delaying this project. She said it is an <br />uncertain time now, but what is certain is that the safety net providers such as Piedmont <br />Health Services and the Health Department are likely to see more patients than any other <br />sector in health care. If health care reform moves forward at all, there will be many more <br />people with limited health insurance available. <br />Commissioner Jacobs said that the Board has also asked how they were going to <br />improve efforts to get clients from the southern part of the County to Hillsborough. He asked <br />staff to continue to update the Board of County Commissioners on this. <br />Rosemary Summers said that staff is working on several fronts with this issue -bus <br />vouchers, etc. They also have started communications with their more challenged <br />communities in that area. The biggest concern from clients is that they have been misinformed <br />or they thought that there would be new staff providing services. When clients heard that it <br />would be the same staff as in Carrboro, they were relieved and said that they would continue <br />receiving services in Hillsborough. There have not been many comments regarding <br />transportation so far. <br />Frank Clifton said that this issue will be brought back to the Board of County <br />Commissioners for more discussion later on. <br />Commissioner Gordon said that she did ask many questions of the staff by email and <br />she would like these questions, with staff answers, to be entered into the record. She <br />said that she was very surprised at the price tag and the scope. She read her emails into the <br />record as follows: <br />Greg, <br />Thank you. When answering my question in B-1, staff indicated that the square footage <br />information would come later. In the answer to that question, it would be important to indicate <br />how much of the square footage is for the health clinics and dental clinic, and in what parts of <br />the Whitted Building these clinics would be located. <br />Thanks again. <br />Alice Gordon <br />12 <br />