Larger Offices OKd for Health Program

The county public health center in Simi Valley will move to a larger facility allowing for more services at the site, the Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday.

The health center currently operates out of a 1,800-square-foot office on Royal Avenue, offering services through the Women, Infants and Children program, which manages nutrition education, counseling and supplemental food programs for infants and low-income, pregnant and nursing women and infants.

The center will move to a 5,057-square-foot office space in the Sinaloa Plaza Shopping Center at 540 E. Los Angeles Ave., said Paul Ruffin, deputy director of public works. As a result, a variety of other public health services will be offered, including counseling on AIDS and education programs for pregnant teens.

The new five-year lease agreement calls for monthly rent of $5,967. However, the county received a sixth-month, 50% discount. The rent is subject to an annual 3% adjustment.

As a result of increased caseloads, the county is entitled to receive an additional $259,365 in state money to cover 100% of the lease costs, Ruffin said.

Meanwhile, the county’s Public Social Services Agency, which previously shared its Simi Valley space with the health center, will continue to operate out of the building on Royal Avenue.