The Tazewell County Health Department and everyone involved else involved in the renovation of a medical building in Pekin achieved their goal.
The health department's new Pekin campus at 1800 Broadway Road opened before Thanksgiving.
A ribbon-cutting and open house for the campus held Tuesday attracted a large number of health department employees and county Board of Health members, county employees and officials, Pekin officials, contractors and media, who were given guided tours of the facility.
An emotional Amy Fox, health department director, thanked everyone involved in the renovation project, which included repairing flood damage, and said to a crowd that gathered in the building lobby, "Now we can do what we want to do here. Reach our clients. Our first client here was here at 9 o'clock Monday morning.
"This place is closer to the county's population center than our Tremont campus (at 21306 Illinois Route 9). There's bus service to the front door. This is a perfect solution to our needs, at half the cost of another solution we explored."
The building on Broadway was previously used by the health department for COVID-19 vaccinations and testing during the pandemic.
The county purchased the building from Carle Health in June 2023 for $2.38 million. The money to buy the building came from American Rescue Plan Act funds.
Carle Health is leasing part of the building from the county.
"Our sign was on the marquee here previously. But that was temporary. Now it's here permanently," Fox said.
Bobbi Mullis, the Board of Health president, said the Pekin campus fulfills the health department's "Two locations, one mission" mission statement.
It also gives the health department the room to expand current services and offer new ones.
The health department's clinic and Women's, Infants and Children's (WIC) services have moved to the Pekin campus, although they remain on a scheduled basis at the Tremont campus.
About 46% of WIC clients live in the 61554 ZIP code that includes Pekin.
WIC appointments began Monday. Clinic appointments will start Thursday.
A dental clinic will open in Pekin once a dentist is hired. The former health department dental clinic in North Pekin was shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic and didn't reopen.
About 20% of Tri-County residents don't have access to dental care, Fox said.
One of Fox's dreams for the Pekin campus is to set up a teaching kitchen there.
