Deschutes County officially cut the ribbon Jan. 12 on its new campus in Redmond that consolidates behavioral health, public health and veterans services and more into one convenient place.

The new campus is located in two buildings located at 236 and 244 NW Kingwood Ave., near St. Charles’ Redmond hospital. The county offices include a clinic administered by Mosaic Community Health.

The grand opening and tour of the new building included all three Deschutes County commissioners, members of Redmond City Council including Mayor Ed Fitch, members of the public, and representatives from the various county departments and partner organizations that will be housed at the new site.

“We were already providing many of these services in Redmond, but in separate piecemeal spaces that had grown up over time,” Janice Garceau, the health services director for Deschutes County said. “We were not able to maximize on adjacencies and collaborations with the way we were spread out…we have grown as a department and also simultaneous to better located services we knew we were really running thin on space for staff to work out of and for community members to be served.”

Garceau said the consolidated campus also allows the county to offer more services it wasn’t able to offer before given constraints on space. She said having a campus where different departments are just right across the parking lot from each other is key for many residents.

“That kind of adjacency can make a difference for people who are managing a lot of appointments,” Garceau said.

Redmond City Councilor Cat Zwicker attended the ribbon cutting ceremony and said the snowy conditions Jan. 12 show that a consolidated campus north of Bend is needed for county services.

“I think it is critical to have a consolidated campus for the reason of growth. It takes time to get people to services and during that time, it is jeopardizing their health and wellbeing,” Zwicker said. “Having some place for them that is immediate and located in North County and especially in Redmond, helps … residents directly by providing services they can reach out to.”

According to the county, the decision to open the new Redmond campus was directly related to the growth in the town’s population and the needs of the surrounding communities.

The new building will house Deschutes County Health Services public health programs beginning in the spring. It will also be the site of parental care coordination programs designed to provide information and resources to families during and after pregnancy.

The building will house a sexual and reproductive health clinic offering confidential and free or low-cost sexual and reproductive health care including HIV testing, STI screening and treatment, and emergency contraception among other services. The clinic also has an on-site pharmacy and provides sexual health supplies.

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children will also be administered in the building.

Brian Sullivan, a physician with Mosaic who provides care in Redmond, said the main reason Mosaic will be located on the same campus as the county is because many people who utilize county behavioral health services often have a hard time accessing other healthcare resources, and having it on the same campus with the county will help.

Mosaic will offer primary care to patients at the new clinic at the north campus, Sullivan said. It will also have an on-site lab for routine screenings and interpreters for non English speaking patients.

“Primarily, what we bring in there, is primary care. All of the usual. Managing chronic health conditions, managing people’s prescriptions, and screening for the usual diseases. From anything from diabetes to high blood pressure. Cancer screenings,” Sullivan said.

Veterans who wish to inquire about available services at the new Redmond center are advised to schedule an appointment by calling 541-585-VETS or by emailing vets@deschutes.org. Appointments for veterans will be offered two days per month for the time being, the county said.

To learn more about programs administered by Mosaic Community Health call 541-383-3005, or visit Mosaic on the web.