Discover the New $9 Million Marshall County Health Department Headquarters: Enhancing Community Health Services

photo by: Emma Delk

Marshall County Health Department Administrator Jo Ann Dobbs in the new health department building, which focuses on various health services.

MOUNDSVILLE — The Marshall County Health Department (MCHD) has officially moved into its new $9 million building. This upgrade not only provides more storage but also allows them to offer more services to the community.

After moving from a temporary facility in late December 2024, the new building on Seventh Street is dedicated to the late MCHD Administrator Tom Cook.

One major advantage of the new space is its size. MCHD Administrator Jo Ann Dobbs highlighted that they now have four exam rooms instead of just two. This change means they can serve many more residents, especially for family planning services.

“In the past, space really limited us,” Dobbs said. “We can now run more clinics and welcome more patients.”

The first floor is designed for health services, featuring clinical facilities and nursing offices. The floors are made from antimicrobial materials to help eliminate germs quickly.

Patients enter through the main door into a waiting area, which includes a separate exit for COVID-19 tests. The new exam rooms offer better privacy compared to the old building, where sound carried easily and confidentiality was often compromised.

“The former building was built in the 1950s, and privacy wasn’t a priority then,” Dobbs explained. “Now, we’ve created a more comfortable environment for our patients.”

One of the exam rooms will function as a negative pressure room for tuberculosis patients, ensuring staff safety. There’s also a dental chair where the MCHD’s dental hygienist, Charlene Rine, treats patients three days a week.

Dobbs expressed her appreciation for the new medical record room, which alleviates the clutter of the past. Previously, files were crammed into every available space, especially during the pandemic when new records piled up.

The second floor houses the environmental, business, and threat departments, providing more room for future growth. A lab area will soon allow environmental staff to conduct animal autopsies, improving their ability to test for diseases like rabies.

Additionally, a large conference room on the second floor will be used for meetings and training sessions.

This new facility opens the door for more services, including lead testing and new health programs. One new initiative, the WISEWOMAN program, will help women manage conditions like obesity and diabetes. Another is the FARMacy program in partnership with WVU Extension, providing participants with fresh produce every week along with cooking lessons.

With the new building, MCHD staff feel well-equipped to handle public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re much more confident now,” said Dobbs. “The design considers everything we learned during COVID, ensuring we can keep the public safe.”