News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Architects are working on the final drawings of the new building for the Pickett County Health Department.
Tennessee Health Commissioner Ralph Alvarado said they are looking for ways to create efficiency in the new space that will allow the department to function more smoothly. Alvarado said that although several nearby counties are working on similar projects, Pickett County will see the biggest impact from its new building.
“I always think that the smaller the county, you have the smaller tax base, and so for a county to be able to get a brand new building established or to have the funds to do that is often, that’s the biggest challenge,” Alvarado said. “So when funds come in from federal government that’s a big deal. It’s a once in a lifetime, really, opportunity for local officials and for a local community to get a brand new building.”
Alvarado said the new facility will also be designed to have more privacy for patients and considerations for people with disabilities. Alvarado said there is not a complete timeline for the project but the whole thing will be completed no later than the end of 2026.
“A lot of these buildings were built decades ago and so kind of had a different focus,” Alvarado said. “So, again, getting a brand new facility for the county is pretty exciting. It’ll be more modern.”
Alvarado said the project’s 2026 deadline is because it is being funded by the federal government through the American Rescue Plan.
“We’re very much sticklers to federal rules and what’s being required by the ARPA funds from the federal government,” Alvarado said. “A lot of strings come attached, so we have to follow all of their guidelines.”
Alvarado said it is important to support health departments like Pickett’s because Tennessee is the only state in the country that uses health departments to provide primary and dental care.
“We’ve been charged by the General Assembly that for folks who perhaps are uninsured and need that help, that we can provide those services,” Alvarado said. “So if people are struggling, they don’t have insurance, they don’t have someone to provide medical care, many of our health departments throughout the state can provide those services for patients. And so that puts a strain on the system and so you want to have newer facilities and the ability to provide a good service.”
Alvarado said the current Pickett County Health Department facility will remain fully operational until the new one is completed. Alvarado said another benefit of the project is that county officials will be able to choose what to do with the old building once the health department moves out of it.
