Swain County is proceeding with the purchase of the Swain Medical Center.

Commissioners decided earlier this month to buy the building from Swain County Hospital and use it for the consolidation of the Swain County Health Department and Division of Social Services. The hospital has plans to build a new 10,000-square-foot facility next to the existing emergency room.

After purchasing the medical center, the county would lease it to the hospital until construction on its new facility is completed.

“This would be a positive move for us. Our staff is fragmented and needs to be under one roof,” said health department director Linda White.

Director of Nursing Charlotte Wilson agreed, saying that having “one-stop shopping for healthcare on hospital hill” would be more efficient for the county and provide better service.

The total cost of the project is $825,000. Swain County Economic Development Director Jason Walls said all but $218,750 of the funding was secure.

“This $218,000 is not a lot of money considering the funding sources we have identified,” Walls said. Interested donors include the Duke Foundation, Kate B. Reynolds, the Janirve Foundation and the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Swain County chairman Jim Douthit pointed out the county was presently paying $19,200 a year to lease space for the Health Department. He said if the county had to borrow the $218,750, annual payments would be as much as $7,000 less than the current lease.

Commissioner Austin Greene expressed concerns about future growth needs. County administrator Linda Cable said adjacent land owners had agreed to meet with the county.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News