BCHC continues progress toward building project

Further progress is being made toward a possible future building project at Boone County Health Center (BCHC). The hospital trustees discussed the pending project again at their Aug. 28 meeting.
Tanya Sharp, president and CEO of BCHC, discussed the project and her preliminary work with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Facilities Direct Loan program.
This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings.
The program provides funding through low interest direct loans, grants, or a combination of the two. These may be combined. along with a guaranteed loan program and/or commercial financing.
An initial application was submitted to USDA, and state USDA representatives visited the health center early in August.
Amendments were made to the initial application, and a final application was submitted on Aug. 30 for further review by USDA officials.
Sharp said the health center is working with the architecture firm Holland Basham Architects of Omaha. Representatives of the firm are planning to visit the site Friday, Sept. 7, to discuss the scope of the project.
“Once we have that meeting, we’ll know a lot more about the scope of the project,” said Sharp.
The project will potentially include a new BCHC clinic building, and would eventually bring all outpatient services into one area. Once a new clinic facility is in use, the existing clinic area could be repurposed for the pharmacy, laboratory and dietary departments.
Requirements for the application include a feasibility study, Phase I environmental study, loan commitment letter, and many other forms. A public hearing on the project is also required.
Guaranteed loan portion of the finance package also requires information about the commercial lender, borrower, project costs and funding, credit evaluations and reports, and various other documentation.