Ravenna – Portage County Health District is excited to announce the acquisition of the previous Ravenna Savings Bank building in Ravenna in order to better serve Portage County residents. The purchase of this building will allow the Health District to consolidate its services and programs under one roof and eliminate lease agreements. This will be the first time the Portage County Combined General Health District has owned a building.
The Health District acquired the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program from the County Commissioners in October 2019. Since then, it has been the goal of the Portage County Board of Health to find a location that would house all the services and programs offered by the Health District in one location. The Health District looked for more than four years for property that would hold all of the current staff as well as allow for expansion of services and programs.
“Prior to COVID-19, we had begun looking at the previous bank building as a potential opportunity for the health district. As COVID-19 cases continued to rise and the staff at the Health District became inundated with COVID-19 response, we put our pursuit of acquiring a permanent space on hold,” states Robert Howard, Board of Health president. “The Board of Health began pursuing the purchase of the bank building again in October of 2021, with the final purchase of the building in June 2022.”
Located at 999 East Main Street in Ravenna, in between Marcs and Giant Eagle, the centrally located 29,000-square-foot building with ample parking was purchased for 1,160,000 dollars. It will house all of the programs and services of the Portage County Health District including: Immunization Clinics, WIC program, Project DAWN, and Environmental Health programs such as issuance of permits, licensure for restaurants, campgrounds, etc.
The Health District will occupy the majority of the building, and the existing tenant lease with United Way will remain in place.
“This consolidation of our programs and services that support Portage County residents is a major step forward in advancing our commitment to providing the best public health services to our residents,” says Joseph Diorio, Health Commissioner. “It will allow the different divisions within the Health District to work together in a collaborative space, while enhancing efficiency and effectiveness of our services.
Portage County Health District Environmental Health Division will be the first to move to the new location, relocating on August 29. The Administrative and Finance Services and Health Education and Promotion programs will move directly following. Exact move in dates for the WIC program and the Nursing Division are still being finalized for that week, dependent on the construction of ADA compliant restrooms on the first floor where these programs will be housed.
“At this time, we don’t expect to have to close the Health District during the move,” says Joseph Diorio. “We will be moving the Health District using a phased approach with the hope of limiting a disruption of programs and services.”
It is expected that the WIC program and immunization clinics will not be able to schedule appointments the week of the move.
The Health District asks that residents check our website (www.portagehealth.net) and Facebook pages for updates on where they can go to be served during the move.
The previous location for the Health District was at 705 Oakwood Street, owned by Family and Community Services, for the last nine years. The WIC program location has been at 449 South Meridian Street for the last 35 years under the County Commissioners. The Health District has been paying approximately $83,500 per year for leasing both locations. Both lease agreements are scheduled to be terminated with the move to 999 East Main Street, Ravenna.
