Commission votes on health department improvements

Chandler Inions, The Lebanon Democrat, Tenn.
·2 min read

Apr. 21—The Wilson County Health Department will be getting new awnings thanks to funds received through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

During the Wilson County Commission's regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, the commissioners agreed unanimously to appropriate funds from the act to improve the health department building.

The Wilson County Health Department Director Adalberto Valdez said that the awnings will increase the number of vehicles that can be seen by a health care provider from one to two.

Valdez concedes that while demand is down, the awnings will be very useful in the event of future pandemics by allowing staff to see patients more efficiently. It will also permit the department to operate on site instead of having to go elsewhere. Last year, before returning to the health department building on East Baddour Parkway, those services were conducted at College Hills Church of Christ.

"We have noticed a slow down in vaccinations and testing," Valdez said. "We are seeing on average one vaccination and three tests per day. Due to home tests offered at Kroger and Walgreens, people are not coming to us as much."

Due to the decreased demand for service, Valdez indicated that his department has scaled back staffing as well as appointment availability.

"All services will be incorporated with our normal services that the health department provides on a regular basis in a manner that it does not interfere much with everything else," Valdez said. "Self-test kits and rapid tests will be given from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. from Monday through Friday, with a limit of two per individual."

Testing will be done on Wednesdays from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. Any one who wishes to get a test must call the health department to schedule an appointment at 615-444-5325. Valdez said that walk-in scheduling is available in case the department cannot be reached by phone.

COVID-19 vaccinations will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. To schedule an appointment, patients must go online to the Tennessee Department of Health website.

Those times will go into effect on May 2. In the meantime, the department will continue to operate as normal.

In a letter to the health department director signed by Wilson County Mayor Randall Hutto from August of 2021, Hutto wrote that the total amount for the project will not exceed $75,000. In passing the measure, the county commission included that ceiling.

According to the letter from Hutto, the awnings will have "electrical outlets installed to power vaccine coolers and laptop computer equipment," as well as, "permanent infrared heaters and commercial fans installed to keep staff cool in the summer and warm in the winter."