Robbinsville – Plans for a public fitness center close to the county seat received a sprint forward Monday.
The Graham County Health Board – made up by commissioners, with an advisory council on standby – voted unanimously to designate one acre of property off West Fort Hill Road for the facility. It is the third-such site discussed as a probable location: the former Greenway Foodmart off Tallulah Road and a parcel of land near the Moose Branch community have both fallen through, due to costs associated with purchasing the land.
Graham County Health Department Director Donna Stephens hyped the West Fort Hill site as convenient for all. Across the road is the EMS base; the 911, senior and transit centers have all been constructed in the adjacent vicinity.
“Our goal is to keep applying for grants yearly – after we get the facility – to help us maintain it and keep it running,” Stephens noted.
Some key players have either already expressed interest in providing grants for the center. The Concord-based Cannon Foundation has said it is on board, while the Asheville-based WNC Bridge Foundation has also tossed its name in the hat to provide assistance.
Stephens also listed as Dogwood Health Trust (Asheville), the Nantahala Health Foundation (Franklin), the Southwestern Commission on Aging (Sylva), the Golden Leaf Foundation (Rocky Mount) and the North Carolina Department of Commerce as potential entities to provide grants.
The design of the center is still under development.
Clinical services
Stephens also listed the recent number of visitors to county medical facilities, including the health department and the dental clinic. She touted 353 patients visited the new primary-care clinic at the health department in November. A slight dip of 302 was reported for December, before an increase to 363 concluded January.
Dental patients tallied 151 in November (hygienist, 97); December, 122 (hygienist, 93); and January, 176 (hygienist, 68).
“I appreciate these numbers,” board member Lynn Cody said. “This is something that over the years, we have asked for and we’ve never seen.”
Except for Medicare, all forms of insurance are now being accepted at county-operated health centers. With all operations running as smoothly as they have in years, Stephens is working toward a big goal: making sure the health department is self-sustaining.
“Our revenue stream has really picked up,” Stephens said. “Since we’ve added the clinic, our numbers have almost quadrupled.”