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MINUTES ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH January 17, 2008 Board of Health Minutes Transcription completed by Anne Miles Cassell 2 January 17, 2008 all options that have been proposed. Dr. Carey asked what would happen to the Health Department at SHSC in the Mayo Street purchase scenario. Neither scenario addresses adequate space for the health department at Southern. Pam Jones replied that the 2005 space study has a provision for expansion of Southern for future needs. She agreed that was not explicit in the options detailed. Ernie Dodson asked for clarification of the lease/purchase option. Pam Jones replied that the lease would be for the period 2008 – 2012 when the purchase option would be executed. Ernie Dodson stated that he felt the opportunity to acquire the Mayo Street property would be the best choice for the county because it would provide more immediate space needs and also would provide the space for future expansion of county services. He also pointed out the length of time needed for new construction in Chapel Hill. Alice Gordon explained various options for new construction versus expanding existing structures at SHSC and the lease/purchase option that Commissioners are considering. Jessica Lee commented that one of the things the Health Department has suffered from is trying to make a building that was not intended to be a health facility into a health care facility. Dr. Summers commented that the Mayo Street (Wal-Mart) property is much newer and the retrofit would not be as difficult. The advantage of the Mayo Street property is access for residents and availability of parking. The best option is always new construction that can be built to specifications however it is unlikely that will take place due to lack of building site availability in the northern part of the county. The Summary of Square Footage Needs for the Health Department was broken out into northern and southern end of the county facilities. Anticipated growth needs were included in the statistics. Commissioner Gordon asked the Board for any recommendations to bridge the short-term needs on the way to a good long-term solution. Chris Harlan asked if the health department would lose it’s presence in the southern part of the county if the county chooses the Mayo Street property to retrofit instead of building new construction. Commissioner Gordon stated that the department would still have a presence in Chapel Hill and would not lose its presence in that area entirely. Ms. Harlan stated that she felt the Board had been clear about needing to maintain services in both locations. Dr. Carey brought up the issue of dental services needed in both ends of the county. Jessica Lee stated that no matter which plan is selected the dental services would be moved from Carr Mill Mall and that would be good. Dr. Summers recommended the Board to consider that the dental projections were conservative and based on current populations being served. If services were expanded to the elderly there would be additional needs. She pointed out that this is a growing population in the county. There was general agreement among Board members the Whitted Building presents many unknowns regarding suitable clinical upfit. They also wished to be sure that there would be adequate space at Southern Human Services Center for all of the personal health and dental health services. The Board asked the staff to work with the Chair and Vice-Chair to summarize the discussions from this meeting and prepare a letter to the Commissioners. III. Public Comment for Items NOT on Printed Agenda