Centralized health and human services building coming to Dorchester County

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – A number of new projects are underway in Dorchester County including a facility that will help with health-related needs.

The new Dorchester County Central Health and Human Services campus is being built in a former shopping center on Boone Hill Road in Summerville.

“You are standing in Dorchester County’s future Health and Human Services offices. It will also house the public defenders and storage for the sheriff’s department,” said Dorchester County Council Chairman Todd Friddle. “Will be able to consolidate departments into one area and make it a one-stop-shop for citizens of Dorchester County.”

Purchasing and renovating the 47,000 square feet of space was much less expensive than buying land and building new.

“This was a huge win for us,” said Friddle. “We got this way under market value. We were able to use Arca funds on it. It’s an ongoing project where we’re moving people out of 500 N. Main and putting them more where they’re centrally located.”

The county’s South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) office will also be located there.

It’s just one of many upgrades the county is making, including a new 911 call center on Deming Way.

“And then we’ve done the medical district- we’ve taken mental health and stuff and moved it into the medical district. We also have a project going right now that will start very shortly, which will be the coroner’s office. In St. George, we’ve got a medical facility that will be run by MUSC.”

“We’ve got to continuously evolve as a county to prepare for the future,” he added.

Some of the offices will be able to be moved in as early as August.