Empty building could become low-cost health clinic

An Oconee County councilman, Wayne McCall, believes the former state health department building in Walhalla, without much cost, can be transformed into a low-cost health clinic for Walhalla and surrounding areas. McCall and fellow county councilman John Elliott are leading an effort to re-use the large county-owned building that sits empty one block below the county courthouse. McCall, Elliott, and Elliott’s predecessor, Edda Cammick, have been pursuing expanded health services for residents of upper sections of the county who face transportation or other issues in reaching the county’s only other reduced-cost clinic, Rosa Clark in Seneca. There have been two positive meetings held, including a tour yesterday of the building. McCall says officials with the Joseph F. Sullivan Center at Clemson University are interested in re-establishing their outreach to under-served communities, such as parts of Oconee. McCall says to restore the 50-year old building into a contemporary clinic, he’s targeting a volunteer effort like the one that he helped lead to restore the Walhalla Swimming Pool. Sheriff Mike Crenshaw is pledging help thru his office. Crenshaw said, “Inmate labor could be used since the county owns the building. SCDC is checking for me to see if they have any prisoners that have met the trustee classification that could be used for two to three weeks on this project. If for some reason they are not able to meet our request, I will then look at how many of our current state inmates housed at our jail that we could pull off other work assignments for a short period of time to work on the old health department.”