Iron County Health Department plans to move offices to school

By RALPH ANSAMI

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Hurley — The Iron County Health Department plans to move its offices into the Hurley K-12 school.

The Hurley School Board on Monday gave district administrator Chris Patritto the go-ahead to work out a lease deal with Zona Wick, of the health department.

Wick said the health department will need a long-term lease, moving from the Gateway professional building downtown, where the office has been located for many years.

She said there is no room in the courthouse to house the health department and school board president Joe Simonich said the school has enough space for the health department.

Patritto said he considers it a “win-win” situation. Students will have better access to health care services and there’s plenty of space in the school for offices, he said.

Wick said her only issue concerning the move would be confidentiality with the adults who seek services, but board members stressed the many benefits of the move.

“It’s a great idea. They (the health department) have been helping us out for years,” Patritto said.

Wick pointed out that health services to school district students is just one of 20 programs her department offers.

County board chairman Joe Pinardi, of Hurley, said some elderly users of the downtown clinic would need a ride out to the school, but other than that, there were few negatives discussed.

Wick said with the Affordable Care Act taking effect, the county health department has been seeing fewer people.

Simonich, who’s employed in the health care field, said he doesn’t envision the district ever needing the space back. He said it would help the school district with its nursing needs and the county health department would save money.

While no firm time-table for a move was approved, the lease agreement might be finalized by next month or March, and relocating the department by June is a possibility.