Grant County Health Department Celebrates New Building

Grant County Health Department was honored with a ribbon cutting Friday, July 19, during a Chamber Coffee they hosted.

"Wow, what a great turnout," said Grant County Chamber Director Marieta Hauser of the crowd that gathered for the event. "We are really blessed to have a new facility here."

Hauser then turned the event over to Grant County Health Department Administrator Denise James, RHIT, who talked about how the facility came about.

"This project started probably a year and a half ago," James said. "It’s been a long process, but we are very happy and very pleased."

James thanked Grant County Commissioners Mark McGaughey, Marty Long and John Martin.

"This is an excellent building for us," she said. "It has great flow. The general contractor Craig Malone (C. Malone Enterprises) has been excellent. We couldn't have had a better one. (The facility is) beautiful."

James also expressed her thanks to Southwest Kansas Sales.

"They helped us with their trailer moving a lot of stuff," she said. "My team and their families. My husband, my kids and my mom - we all did all of it by ourselves moving over a weekend. A Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We did little things during the week."

James said they also had a few high school kids who helped out.

"A couple of my boys and another big kid helped move our vaccine freezer - those things are heavy," James said.

James recognized her staff, two of whom were not present at the event: Tracy Torres and Ruth Edwards. Torres is the reception clerk for the health department and Edwards is a registered nurse.

Staff who were in attendance included: Rosie Rivas, WIC Clerk; Anne Schmid, RN; Diana Guillen, RN; Ivonne Barron-Gomez, Clerk; and Katherine Guaderrama, Community Health Worker.

Guaderrama is the one for people to go to if they have problems or questions with insurance, medical bills, and housing among other issues, according to James.

"We are working on resources for the community," James said. "We are reaching out to see all there is and how we can help anybody. We also have a lot of connections outside of Grant County."

Rivas works with women, infants and children via the WIC program.

"There are food packages, nutrition education and all kinds of things that go with that to help the kids and their families learn the right way to eat," James said.

All of the nurses who work for the health department "do everything", according to James.

"They have one specific area, but they all work together," she added.

Anne Schmid, the WIC nurse, sees all of the WIC clients and helps them with their nutrition and education needs. Diana Guillen is the family planning nurse.

"Family planning is your birth control and talking about family planning anywhere from a young age to when you don’t need any of that any more," James said.

Bob Wilson Memorial Grant County Hospital Auxiliary was also recognized.

"They don't like to have much recognition and say they don't need it, but I think they need it," James said. "I think they need recognized for everything they do in our community."

The auxiliary purchased the stickers which decorate the walls of the new health department as well as toys and a pediatric bed shaped like a bus for the pediatric room.

"We don't have it yet - it was ordered two months ago," James said. "I was really hoping it would be here by today. It is super cool. Kids are going to like it."

James offered Grant County Commissioners the opportunity to speak at the event. John Martin spoke on behalf of the three.

"If there's any question if health care is important in this community - look around at the crowd that showed up today," Martin said. "It's a testament to how serious everybody takes it. How proud we are of this facility. Denise has done a wonderful job. Commissioners looked at a way - what our future needed to be - and this fit very well."

Martin said another "huge plus" was the grant money the county had received during COVID.

"(Because of that) very little tax dollars were spent on this project," Martin said. "That is a huge plus for this community right there. We are proud of the job Denise and her crew are doing and we look forward to great things with them." 

James took time out to recognize Cindy Monge, 16, who assisted with a very special project, which was started around two years ago - a new logo for the department.

"Cindy was a freshman (in high school) when we started this," James said. "She designed this logo. We are very proud of our logo."

Watch The Ulysses News for more on the logo project and the artist, Cindy Monge.