County health district headed back to Clarkston

Feb. 21—The Asotin County Public Health District is purchasing a commercial building in Clarkston with plans to move its offices back into the city.

For the past 10 years, the district's headquarters have been in Asotin. However, the majority of clients who participate in public health programs live inside the Clarkston city limits, said Administrator Brady Woodbury.

Easier access, expanded services and a significant increase in state funding prompted the purchase of a vacant, 9,000-square-foot building at 719 Fifth St., about a block from where the offices were located for 35 years.

"We're excited about this," Woodbury said Tuesday. "We are going to have a kiosk right outside that provides free COVID and flu tests, and we'll be able to hire more people and offer more services to everyone in Asotin County."

An investor in Boise bought the building after an industrial supply business moved out, Woodbury said. The district is purchasing it for $1 million and has already made a $700,000 down payment. The owner, WGR Investments, will carry the balance, so no loan was necessary.

Ten offices will be added, along with a lobby, board room and other improvements. The move will be made in late summer or early fall, once the work is completed.

"We want to get it done as soon as possible," Woodbury said. "The cool thing about this building is it's big enough for all of our needs. We plan to extend the offices into the warehouse, and we'll have room to store all of the PPE (personal protective equipment) left over from COVID."

Before the pandemic, most public health jurisdictions in the state were severely underfunded, Woodbury said. Lawmakers decided to fix the issue, and funding has now been increased by "unprecedented levels."

Before COVID-19, the Asotin County Public Health District operated on a $600,000 budget. This year it's at $2.4 million.

"We have preventative services now," Woodbury said, "and continuous, sustainable funding."

Nine employees work at Asotin County Public Health, and two more will be hired this year. The district offers maternal health and child programs, emergency preparedness, environmental health and other personal, family and community health programs. The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program serves an average of 400 clients each month.

The Asotin County district inspects about 100 food establishments a year, and oversees numerous environmental health issues, such as septic system inspections and solid waste violations. An immunization outreach coordinator has been added to the staff, and community involvement has expanded, Woodbury said.

The kiosk should be open later this week. It will feature a vending-style machine stocked with free COVID-19 and flu tests for the public.

A few years ago, public health boards across the state were revamped by the Legislature to include three elected officials and three community members.

In Asotin County, Commissioner Chuck Whitman, Clarkston City Councilor Skate Pierce and Asotin City Councilor Lori Loseth serve on the board, along with residents Dan Button, Lisa Barnes and Brendan Johnson. Dr. Bob Lutz, of Spokane, serves as the medical officer and regularly participates in board meetings.

Prior to the move to Asotin, the health district operated at 431 Elm St., near City Hall for more than three decades. Funding cuts forced the district to reduce its number of employees and downsize.

Last year, the district paid off its current building at 102 First St., and will likely sell the Asotin property.

"We still have a lot of work to do, but we're looking forward to our next move," Woodbury said.

Sandaine can be reached at kerris@lmtribune.com. You can follow her on X @newsfromkerri.