Wake County opens new public health center, officials cite expanded services and federal support
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Summary
Wake County officials opened a new public health center they say centralizes clinics and services; officials described capacity and features, and Congresswoman Deborah Ross said she secured $2,000,000 in federal funding to help the project.
Wake County officials formally opened a new Wake County Public Health Center and described the facility’s services, partners and funding during a Wake TV episode. Don Mio, chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners, welcomed attendees and said the center will replace the county’s Sunnybrook facility and expand access to care.
Officials described clinic capacity and specialized spaces: remarks included references to four floors, capacity to serve 100 patients at a time, 88 exam rooms and 20 dental treatment rooms. The transcript records two different statements about the building’s total size (one remark cited 121,031 and another cited 154,000 square feet); county officials did not clarify the discrepancy on camera. Public Health Director Rebecca Kauffman said the center will house pediatric, family planning and prenatal clinics, WIC, dental services, TB and refugee health, immunizations, infectious disease and STD clinics, and lactation spaces. She said residents will see a centralized check-in and more than 100 clinic rooms and that the center will open for residents on Monday, February 23.
County Manager David Ellis and Commissioner Tara Waters praised the project’s partners and workers, noting about 2,000 people worked on the facility and singling out partners including Wake Tech and WakeMed. Tara Waters thanked contractors Skanska and architects LS3P and O'Brien Atkins before inviting attendees to cut the ribbon.
Congresswoman Deborah Ross said she helped secure federal funding for the project and said President Biden signed legislation that delivered $2,000,000 to help bring the center to life. "I was honored to play a small role in the construction of this new health care center," Ross said.
The episode presented the opening as a celebratory, informational event; no county vote or formal board action was recorded on-camera during the segment. Viewers were directed to wake.gov/news for additional updates.
