The Mission of East Central District Health Department is to complement community health services in order to make a positive difference in the quality of life to all individuals and families.
Our Vision: To improve the health and well-being of our community.
East Central District Health Department was formed in 1999 as the Platte-Colfax County District Health Department and at that time only served Platte and Colfax counties. Over the years, ECDHD has added two more counties, Boone and Nance, to its' service area, and has expanded and adapted programs to meet the needs of county residents and stakeholders.
In December of 2002, ECDHD applied for a Community Health Center grant and was awarded Community Health Center status in April of 2003. Good Neighbor Community Health Center was formed and is considered a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in Nebraska. For more than 10 years Good Neighbor Community Health Center, together with East Central District Health Department, operated out of the original site at 2282 East 32nd Ave. on the eastern edge of Columbus. By 2007, the growth in patient numbers necessitated that the original facility be expanded or replaced. The eight-year process resulted in the construction of the current building at 4321 41st Ave. Also located at the East Central District Health Department is the Federally Qualified Health Center, Good Neighbor Community Health Center, which offers primary medical, dental and behavioral health services to anyone.
Columbus: New Building Timeline
- 2007 ECDHD and GNCHC Boards of Directors begin to explore options for expanding their facility, either by putting on a sizeable addition or building from the ground up.
- 2009 It is decided to build a new facility rather than add on due to a variety of factors. A Building Committee is formed, the board of directors begin to save for a capital development project and bids are let for the project. (The bid is ultimately awarded to Leuder Construction Company of Omaha, NE).
- 2011 After an extensive search for property, the East Central District Health Department purchases 8.6 acres of a former cornfield near the Columbus Community Hospital.
- 2012 ECDHD/GNCHC learn they have been awarded a $5 million grant from HRSA to fund 80% of the construction costs for the new site.
- 2013 Construction on the new building begins.
- 2015 The 29,400 square foot, $6.7 million project is completed. The new building doubles the size of the previous facility and allows staff and programs, which had been housed in three different Columbus locations, to be together in one building. The majority of the new building is devoted to patient space, including medical and behavioral health care, dental care and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program along with x-ray facilities, a medical lab and a FEMA safe room.that followed resulted in the construction of the current facility at 4321 41st. Ave.
