Groundbreaking held for new White Co. Health Department

White County is taking an important step toward the health of its residents. A new health department facility has just laid out its official groundbreaking, on May 12. The new facility will be placed on the corner of Mose Drive and the Old Smithville Highway North, right on the curve.

The project is an estimated $6 million, with $600,000 coming from the White County Commission. The new facility promises to provide more accessibility to the public with new, improved services. In addition, the location itself is an improvement. It rests close to both Highway 111 and the Smithville Highway.

The construction, once it begins, will be clearing out the abandoned office building located on the construction grounds and establishing the new groundwork for the facility. The construction itself is scheduled to take about 12 to 15 months.

Both the White County Commission and Tennessee Health Department are proud of the results of the collaboration. It is another step in the health department’s ongoing efforts to improve health facilities across the state, as Warren County just did a similar groundbreaking event for its own facility just months prior.

County Executive Denny Wayne is proud of the achievement. He said, “It’s been a big win for White County and the state all the way around. I appreciate the [health] commissioner and him getting this done, Paul Sherrell [state representative] and the appropriation of the funds. It’s just a good win for everybody.”

Tennessee’s Health Commissioner Ralph Alvarado also believes it is an important step for the community, both locally and regionally.

Alvarado said, “It’s a moral boost to the people in the department. If you go back to the pandemic, it was a rough time, but, coming out of that, the federal government allocated a lot of funds to the states to do what they needed for public health. Some states try to make programs that eventually they can’t fund and have to scrap. We looked at communities that needed a new facility.”

Representative Paul Sherrell was present for the event as well and said, “It is just great for the people of Tennessee, especially for the community. It will make things look great, and I want to give a lot of credit to our [health] commissioner. His team is good to work with, and they do a great job.”

The existing facility, located on Walker Streett, was built in 1968. As work starts in the coming months, all officials involved in getting the facility approved are excited to see the positive benefit it has for the health of White County.