What a wonderful day! About 150 people gathered on April 10 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the newly renovated Fayette County Community Services building. Located at 245 Booker Avenue in Fayetteville, a former elementary school is the new home of the Fayette County Health Department and other District 4 services: WIC & Nutrition Center, Environmental Health, Emergency Preparedness, and Epidemiology.
The McIntosh Trail Community Service board—which provides mental health, developmental disability, and addictive disease services—has moved into a new facility behind the main building.
Through significant upgrades, the complex provides the community with unique benefits, including the convenience of having physical health, mental health, and other public health services in one location.
The health department and WIC & Nutrition Center are now just down the hall from each other, for instance, making it easier for clients to manage multiple appointments in one visit.
“The new space is a wonderful gift for the community and for us,” said Beverlyn Ming, RN, MSN, the health department’s county nurse manager. The health department now has six exam rooms and four school health screening rooms, compared to the previous four exam rooms and two screening rooms.
“Health departments are mainly known as ‘the place where you get your shots,’ but we offer so much more than that,” Ming said. “Our new home provides us with the type of facility we need to manage all the health services we offer.”
With the addition of McIntosh Trail, the building offers a comprehensive offering of health services that is not available in most Georgia counties.
“Having physical and mental health services under one roof is a tremendous step for our county because it can help us begin to bridge the connection between the body and the mind,” Ming said. “The new facility represents more than just a building renovation; it’s a commitment to providing comprehensive, accessible public health care for Fayette County residents.”
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