Comanche County Health Department moving into next step of new treatment facility

A project that will give Comanche County Health Department a new testing and treatment facility is moving forward.

Comanche County Commissioners approved a construction manger at risk agreement Monday with CDBL of Lawton, the next step in a process that will build a new facility on the south side of the health department, said Brandie Combs, regional administrative director for the Oklahoma State Department of Health’s Region 5. The goal is creating a facility large enough to provide sheltered space for large-scale activities such as vaccinations and testing while also giving the health department space to store equipment and shield state vehicles from the elements.

“It’s the only one of its kind in Oklahoma,” Combs told commissioners Monday, as she described a facility that will offer a two-lane drive-through area that will allow the health department to stage vaccines, testing and medication events within easy reach of the health department. Combs has said the Comanche County Fairgrounds can offer space for smaller events, but the health department must rely on other venues when it stages major events such as the COVID-19 vaccinations and testing sessions.

One of those events involved “50,000-plus” vaccinations, Combs said, adding that even a simple flu vaccination event can draw 1,000 participants. She said the facility being planned will allow such events to occur “in a more efficient manner” because residents seeking services can remain in their vehicles, rather than parking and coming into a building.

“It’s a great methodology,” she said, adding the facility also can handle non-medical events, such as the popular car seat checks the health department does several times a year.

The building will offer enough space for a two-lane drive-through area, with adjacent meeting space that can be used by the health department and others.

When that drive-through space is not being used, it will provide storage for equipment such as the health department’s trailer. Covered parking also will be available on the building’s north side, providing shelter for state vehicles that otherwise must be parked outside in the weather. Combs noted the problems with that arrangement, saying a number of state vehicles were severely damaged by Lawton’s July 2023 hail storm.

The agreement that commissioners approved with CDBL allows the next phase of the project to begin, an important consideration because the project is being funded with a $1 million allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money. Under the federal guidelines for those funds, the project must be under contract by Dec. 31, 2024, with the project completed by Dec. 31, 2026.

CDBL will take the lead role in the processes needed for that construction contract, from building permits to bidding and selecting subcontractors. Combs said she doesn’t yet have a timeline for when construction will begin.

Combs has said the facility will be functional, not elaborate, with a nice facade for the public but few bells and whistles inside. Cost will determine how big the facility will be.

The new facility will be located south of the existing health department complex on South Sheridan Road, on a 150-foot strip of land the health department is leasing from Lawton Public Schools. The tract is part of the Marvin Bicket and Wes Silk School Farm, which Lawton Public Schools agreed to lease under an agreement approved in November 2023.

Combs has said any costs beyond the ARPA grant will be covered via annual millage carryover funds, which the health department receives from the county.