The Guthrie County Public Health Department is undergoing some interior renovations to their facility.

Administrator Jotham Arber says they have been planning to remodel their space a couple of years ago. He says they are trying to make their facility more Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliant. When an individual came into their building, there was no barrier to keep them from wandering around the entire area.

“That creates some issues as far as confidentiality and protection of our staff. You want to know who’s coming in and you want to make sure they are getting the right services.”

He describes another reason why they wanted to make improvements to the interior.

“This is also a county facility and we have a lot of county taxpayers and residents that come in and access our services. We want to make sure that when they come in that they also feel like it’s a place where they can get proper services.”

They are replacing the stained carpets and old paneling to make the interior a more inviting and comfortable atmosphere for clients and patients. They are also installing new countertops and LED lighting.