Siloam Springs closer to getting new health facility
Posted on Saturday, July 12, 2008
SILOAM SPRINGS - The city of Siloam Springs has seen many changes in its public health clinic throughout the years. In the early 1980 s, Benton County Health Department officials visited the city once a week before opening up a clinic in an old high school.
When the high school became too old and worn down to work from, the Church of Christ offered the health facility a place to provide services until the county found another home in what was previously a sports medicine clinic.
Once there, Siloam Springs had access to a full range of public health programs, including Women, Infants and Children (WIC ), until the county lost its lease on the building in January 2007. Since then, residents of Siloam Springs and the west side of Benton County have had to drive to Bentonville to get the care they need.
Now, after more than 16 months without a public health facility, Siloam Springs is one step closer to getting a new, more permanent Health Department clinic.
The Benton County Finance Committee and Committee of 13 voted Tuesday to send the proposition to purchase a facility for the clinic to the Benton County Quorum Court, which will meet at 5 p.m. July 24.
If the Quorum Court passes the proposition for the clinic, that would enable the county to purchase a building to house the clinic for $ 175, 000. The proposed building, at 101 W. University Street in downtown Siloam Springs, is currently a medical facility, so it will need few renovations before opening.
Those renovations include establishing more privacy in the reception area to protect clients' health information, and adding an additional exam room, a small restroom in the waiting area and a classroom.
Loy Bailey, Benton County Health Department director, believes that by purchasing the building, it will be possible to have the new clinic open to the public by the end of 2008, especially if the city of Siloam Springs continues to be willing to take responsibility for the facility's utilities.
Bailey has received a great deal of positive feedback about reopening a public health facility in Siloam Springs.
"Everyone has expressed their concern and their support for getting the clinic re-established. All facets of the community have expressed concern for the clinic. They want us back pretty bad," Bailey said.
"We feel like to totally remove ourselves from Siloam Springs, a city of 14, 000 now, would not be a smart public-health move," Bailey said," We feel like we need to be on the west side (of Benton County ). The demand is tremendous over there."
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