FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 16, 2001

   THURSTON COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH MOVES TO NEW OFFICES

OLYMPIA -- Thanksgiving week is a busy one for employees of Thurston County Public Health and Social Services as they move to a new building.   Some 70 employees and 20 different health and community services programs are affected by the change in location.  The department is moving out of a facility that was built in the 1950s on 4^th avenue in downtown Olympia to a just completed structure on Lilly road in Olympia.  The old building, which initially housed Memorial Clinic, is 16,500 square feet while the new one is 23,000 square feet.

Public Health and Social Services director Pat Libbey says, “We are anxious to begin working at the new facility which was designed for delivery of integrated services and gives us much more flexibility.  It also contains a room for public meetings, something which we could not offer in the old building.” 

The new facility, which cost a total of $5,400,000.00 including design and furnishings, was finished on time and within budget.   Libbey says, “We were able to achieve some savings by purchasing reconditioned office cubicles and other items instead of buying them brand new.”  The new facility was paid for with the proceeds from the sale of the old health building and Real Estate Excise Tax funds.

The total move of the Health Department will take several weeks and officials are asking the public to have patience while it is accomplished.  Deputy Director Sherri McDonald says, “We plan to offer our full range of services during the move and our phone lines will remain intact.  We hope to avoid any disruptions but we’re asking folks to bear with us while we work through the logistics of this big change.”

The new health building should be fully opened by December 12^th.