TDH Celebrates New Cumberland County Health Department Community Health Center

CROSSVILLE – Tennessee Health Commissioner John Dreyzehner, MD, MPH, today joined other state and local officials in Crossville for the open house celebration at the new Cumberland County Health Department Community Health Center.

“We are very pleased to join with the community, local leaders and the great team at the Cumberland County Health Department to celebrate this wonderful new facility and the partnership effort that made it possible,” said Dreyzehner. “Cumberland County can be very proud of the visible way it supports the health of its citizens, particularly many of its most vulnerable citizens, by making this important project a reality. The additional space and many improvements will allow us to be better partners in prevention and the provision of much needed health services here.”

The new facility replaces the outdated health department clinic built in 1966 and provides 30,000 square feet of space, an increase of nearly 17,000 square feet from the former building. The clinic was built as an environmentally sustainable facility according to the United States Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, Silver level certification requirements.

“This new health department facility is the result of a cooperative effort that has been underway for a long time in this community,” said Cumberland County Health Director Karen Roper. “Our patients have been very appreciative of both the new building and the services we’re able to provide.” 

A partnership among federal, state and local government covered the costs of the project. The Cumberland County Health Department received a $4.5 million U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration grant for construction of a new clinic. The Cumberland County government contributed approximately $1 million which included purchase of land for the facility.

The Cumberland County Health Department is a federally qualified health center providing more than 29,700 patient visits in 2012. A substantial portion of the clinic’s primary care patients, 72 percent, are uninsured, compared to a national average of 36 percent uninsured patients for FQHCs.

The Cumberland County Health Department at 1503 South Main St. in Crossville provides an array of services including primary care, immunizations, well child visits and health screenings, WIC and nutrition services, breast and cervical cancer screening, birth and death certificates, children’s special services, HIV testing and counseling, sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment and communicable disease control. As a federally qualified health center, the clinic provides primary care services to all patients regardless of ability to pay. Hours for the clinic are 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Individuals wishing to make an appointment may contact the Cumberland County Health Department at (931) 484-6196.

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Health is to protect, promote and improve the health and prosperity of people in Tennessee. For more information about TDH services and programs, visit http://health.state.tn.us/.