Hall County Government broke ground Tuesday alongside officials with the Department of Public Health and Northeast Georgia Physicians Group to officially begin the Hall County Health Department campus project.
“Our Commission looked at this area and wanted to know ‘what could we do better, and how can we make things better,’ and it started with Butler Park, which was a small piece that then became a catalyst for what is happening at the Butler Center,” Hall County District 4 Commissioner Jeff Stowe said.
The Hall County Health Department, located on the Butler Campus off Athens Street in Gainesville, currently shares its space with Northeast Georgia Physicians Group; however, the new campus project will include a new 8,000 sq. ft. facility, which will be leased by NGPG. Once NGPG moves into that new facility, renovations will begin on the current building, increasing the square footage for the Health Department.
“The new NGPG building and the increased capacity and remodeled interior of the Hall County Health Department will certainly make the patient experience better, and ultimately, investing in our healthcare infrastructure and investing in the quality of life for all Hall County citizens will make us, as a community, better,” Assistant County Administrator Katie Crumley said.
Other than the new 8,000 sq. ft. facility and renovations to the current health department building, the campus project will include civil work, including new parking spaces, an access drive and a drive-thru clinic component.
“The health of our community is not our individual health – it’s the addition and cementation of all of us that live in this community, even those who do not have access to healthcare,” Hall County Board of Health Chairman Dr. Antonio Rios said. “I have yet to find another example elsewhere where you have the local health system provider, the primary care clinic area for the city, county and many other agencies to support a mission, and now we are able to expand on that.”
The total budget of the project is $10.9 million and is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and Special Purpose Local Options Sales Tax (SPLOST).
The Hall County Health Department Project is expected to be completed in 2025.
The new 8,000 sq. ft. facility that will be leased to Northeast Georgia Physicians Group.