New Pima County Service center opens on Northwest side

Pima County cut the ribbon on the new Northwest Service Center on Miracle Mile Thursday, bringing the 7 year, $41 million dollar project to a close.

The new 39,000 square foot building takes the place of the former Golden Pin Lanes bowling alley, and will relocate several county health and workforce development services.

Health Department Director Dr. Theresa Cullen said the location is on a bus line, and aims to increase healthcare access for the 85705 zip code that has higher levels of social vulnerability.

“This clinic will have the traditional public health services, sexually transmitted infection evaluation, women’s health, but also lots of preventative services, access to blood pressure screening, blood sugar screening, colorectal cancer referrals, access to pap smears and mammographies,” she said.

It cost the county a total of $41.4 million, with $36.9 million coming from federal American Rescue Plan Act funding.

The old Health Department location on Prince Rd. and 1st Ave. will move to the new building, along with vital records and mobile food safety inspections. These are secondary locations to the Abrams Public Health Center on Country Club Road.

Cullen said vaccinations will be available when the clinic services open July 7, as concern continues to rise after four measles cases were confirmed in Navajo County this week.

Employment services from the county’s Community and Workforce Development moved to the new building on May 19, including the One-Stop program, a partnership with local businesses that hosts job fairs and employee training.

Pima Supervisor Jen Allen said the new building is an important investment in her district.

“It is literally meeting folks where they are, in the Flowing Wells neighborhood,” she said. “This part of town has been under invested in for far too long.”