A new Nekoosa Health Office, called Cex hacii Health Office, is currently being constructed with plans of completion this August.

“It is in the exact heart of the Ho-Chunk Nation and is within our Contract Health Service Delivery Area (CHSDA) which includes Hocak enrolled members in Wood County and can also offer services to Marathon, Shawano and Portage Counties for Well Child visits, Community Health and Behavioral Health activities,” said Health Department Executive Director Ona Garvin.

“It will be a permanent place for our workers and a positive place for tribal members to receive health care in the community from our Community Health Representative, Community Health Nurse, Behavioral Health Counselors and we can also offer training and education for our diabetes and wellness programs,” Garvin said.

“We will also have an office that will be open during regular office hours and a contact point for community members to reach our health providers, communicate with and schedule appointments to our clinics.  Tribal members and employees of the Nation will be able to access pharmacy services through this location as needed in coordination with our pharmacies,” she said.

The building is located between Ho-Chunk Gaming – Nekoosa and the water tower along Highway G, near the Tribal Aging building, Head Start, Youth Services and residents in the local housing community.

Plans for the 763,000 square foot facility, measuring 89’ by 46’, began when architects began designing the building last year and bids were accepted in November. Construction began in March and the total cost is estimated at $825.000.

“The Nekoosa Health Office has a long history of not having a permanent home. Over the course of the past 20 years, they have had six different locations,” said Health Department Environmental Health Director Carol Rollins. “Each time we have moved, the Health Department has provided funds to adapt rented or leased space to accommodate the health services. Each move has resulted in office remodeling, installation of IT equipment and servers, sometimes even the installation of fiber optics to buildings which all was left behind when we were asked to move again.”

The process has been very disruptive to arrange new services to new locations, change addresses and there was always a period of transition for the staff, as well as the community members who are served by the Nekoosa Health Office, Rollins said.

“It is our desire to provide a permanent facility to serve as the Health Office in this community and to finally give the health staff who work in this area a place to deliver health services. In addition, we would be able to provide new services for tribal members in the Nekoosa area who have not had access,” Rollins said.

The exercise physiologist will be able to hold exercise classes in the conference room area and an area has been designated for exercise equipment for community members to access. The conference room will be available for nutrition classes, life-style balance classes, and other preventative classes to support a healthy lifestyle. It will be available for the Behavioral Health staff to use for group meetings, she said.

The WIC Exam room will be made available for a visiting provider to do some minor medical appointments, such as sports or Head Start physicals. The building could also serve as the distribution site for the Food Distribution Program. These are all services not possible in the existing building.

“The Health Department has struggled to find space for the health offices that provided both confidentiality and a location that was accessible to the surrounding community. Their most recent location is less than adequate and does not allow the privacy needed to deliver health services,” Rollins said.

The cost of leasing this space has been exorbitant. Each year the landlord has raised the rent and the cost was $29,700 each year. Funding was obtained from Indian Health Service.

“It is a major accomplishment and we look forward to assisting our people toward good health and a longer life.  I thank the Office of the President and the Ho-Chunk Legislature for the support they gave us to follow through on this great project,” Garvin said.

“Thank you to Carol Rollins for all the work she put into planning and seeing it through,” Garvin said. “Also she is retiring at the end of June and I cannot say enough about her work and dedication to the Ho-Chunk Nation and the projects she has been involved with.  This is one of her public works she leaves for the Ho-Chunk Nation and the benefit to Ho-Chunk people.”

“Thank you, Ona and crew, for getting this in the Cex hacii community,” said Ho-Chunk Nation Vice President and District III Legislator Darren Brinnegar. “This is something that our area has needed for a long time. What a positive move for our area and the Nation. I am looking forward to the completion of this new health care facility in District III.”