Move to Elizabeth Opens New Vistas for County Healthcare Department
On January 12th the Jo Daviess County Health Department closed on four adjacent properties in the Village of Elizabeth to create a new Centralized Healthcare Site for the County that will be designed to serve the County’s growing healthcare needs and provide ample room for future expansion, according to Elizabeth Townsend, Department Administrator.
The development includes the properties of 105 and 107 N. Madison Street, and 200 and 206 E. Myrtle Street, an overall site that is just a block from the Eastern Entrance to the Village’s Main Street and located within the Museum Campus of Elizabeth.
The addition of the county Healthcare Department compliments the Elizabeth Midwest Medical Center Clinic, Medical Associate Clinic and the Elizabeth Nursing Home, already in operation. And the opening of a Tele Pharmacy in March, adds additional mass to the creation of a growing “Healthcare Hub” for the County, according to Village Mayor Mike Dittmar.
“Plans are moving forward toward an Oct. 1 opening of the new facility, said Administrator Townsend, “And we will be adding a complete dental facility to our existing services, which will include a Lab Draw Program opening March 5th for residents who cannot afford the cost of that healthcare necessity.”
Two of the existing homes on the site will be demolished with 206 E. Myrtle to be remodeled as a headquarters building, and 105 Madison retained to serve as a possible annex that could be linked to the new headquarters in the future.
The remaining two building will be demolished and the space will be used for parking.
The Department currently operates with three divisions: Clinical Services, Environmental Health and Animal Control. Clinical Services operates Communicable Disease and Immunization programs; the Environmental Health division is responsible for sanitation and related investigations, issuing of permits and licenses, and an extensive variety of education and administrative services; and Animal Control is responsible for protecting the County from Rabies.
Also included in JDCHD operations are the Jo Daviess county Wellness Coalition, Medical Reserve Corps(MRC), and the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEP) Program.
“Healthcare is on the verge of blossoming in the County,” Townsend says. “It needs to be centralized to have more quality help and better services, and our service center needs to be in a place where we can expand to meet the needs of the future.
“The Village of Elizabeth fits the bill. The people of Elizabeth have welcomed us and they have a similar vision for healthcare in Jo Daviess County as we do. There is a great “Vision for Growth” here and the establishment of the village as a “Healthcare Hub” for the County, in addition to the main services in Galena, serves a need in the Eastern section of the County where people currently are going to Freeport and Stevenson County for their healthcare.”
“We are excited about the potential the addition of the Jo Daviess County Health Department brings to our village” said Mayor Dittmar in discussing the project. “We toured the Village with them, had a single meeting, and found a mutual vision that today makes us close partners in this project and the growing Healthcare Industry in the County.
“We are committed and excited and will be signing a Business Development District agreement that will give financial incentives with them in the near future.”
CONTACTS:
Mayor Mike Dittmar
Jo Daviess County Public Health Administrator Elizabeth Townsend
815.777.0263