Passaic County will spend $5.3 million to create an additional health center in the suburb

Passaic County officials this week approved a $5.3 million contract to convert an underutilized office building in West Milford into a satellite health center.

The planned facility would include a public health clinic, behavioral health services and a senior nutrition program serving outlying residents, officials said. Construction is expected to begin in early 2025 and be completed by the end of 2026.

The project is based on an expanded long-term shared services agreement with West Milford for public health, which was amended to include a lease for the municipally owned Johner Building. Originally built in 1970 for precision metal manufacturing, the building on Edgar Drive was later purchased by the township and used for municipal warehouses and emergency services.

Under a shared services agreement, the Passaic County Health Department has conducted environmental health inspections, clinics, vaccinations and educational programs in recent years. Despite these efforts, Charlene Gungill, health officer for Passaic and West Milford County, emphasized the need to expand services in the northwest part of the county to better meet the needs of residents.

“This satellite office is a testament to what shared services can achieve,” said West Milford Mayor Michelle Dale. “By working together, we are bringing the health and wellness resources our residents need closer to home.”

The new satellite office will complement shared health care agreements with neighboring Wanaka and, beginning in January 2025, with Bloomingdale’s, officials said. In 2011, the county opened a satellite office on Ringwood Avenue in Wanaka to offer social, careers and county clerk services to residents.

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John Bartlett, director of the Passaic County Board of Commissioners, said the new office and partnership with the county is designed to ensure equitable access to critical health and wellness programs that may be in short supply.

“Our commitment to public health is stronger than ever,” he said.

The Johner building will be renovated under a project labor agreement negotiated earlier this year to ensure skilled local workers do construction work, including this one, said Brian Jackson, president of the Passaic County Building and Construction Council. The cost of the project will be largely covered by CARES Act funds, county records show.

“This transformative initiative not only strengthens our community by addressing critical public health and wellness needs, but also creates good jobs for local workers,” Jackson said.

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West Milford officials have in recent decades considered using the Johner Building to house some municipal offices, including the departments of health, taxes and utilities. The idea was shelved while the city worked with the library board to build an expanded library. The project made the former library available, and city officials have since chosen it over the Johner Building for office space.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Passaic County will spend $5.3 million to create a health center in the county