Cass Family Clinic Network to purchase county building

Published 11:44 am Friday, August 13, 2021

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CASSOPOLIS — A local nonprofit will soon be expanding its reach and services with the acquisition of a new property.

The Cass County Board of Commissioners approved sale of the building located at 201 N. M-62 to the Cass Family Clinic Network for $300,000 during its Aug. 5 meeting.

The resolution authorizes County Administrator Jeff Carmen to take all necessary steps to establish a timetable for the transfer of the property and relocation of the Department of Corrections’ Parole/Probation Office.

The building was built in 1991 to house the Van Buren/Cass District Health Department’s former Cassopolis office.

“I was with the health department when we built that building,” said Cass County Board of Commissioners Chair Skip Dyes. “Now the county has optimized that building by selling it to the clinic. It’s a win-win for everybody.”

The move was a result of the County Board of Commissioners’ Real Estate Committee’s review of the county’s buildings and properties to determine whether or not there was more property than what the county needed.

The search brought the committee to the 201 N. M-62 building, which currently houses the Cass County Parole/Probation Office. After receiving interest from the Cass Family Clinic in acquiring the building to expand its mission to serve the Community Health needs of Cass County, the two entities moved to reach an agreement.

“It’s a nice building,” Dyes said. “The county is trying to get a smaller footprint. The fact we could give the grounds to the health department in the 90s to build the building and have it be repurposed by the clinic is great.”

Founded in 1964, the Cassopolis Family Clinic Network is a nonprofit, community-based health center that provides comprehensive primary and preventive health care and social services to medically underserved individuals and families regardless of their ability to pay.

According to Dyes, the board of commissioners is still deciding where to relocate the parole office.

“There are several places we could probably put it,” he said. “We’re still weighing our options.”

The acquisition of the 201 N. M-62 building is just the latest example of The CFCN’s efforts to expand its resources to better serve its communities. The CFCN opened its new Cassopolis Family Clinic facility at 261 N. M-62 in 2014, its Niles Community Dental Center in 2016 and Niles Community Health Center, a 30,000 square-foot facility, in 2019.

Clinic officials could not be reached for comment.

“This acquisition is great for them,” Dyes said. “They’ve improved their future by adding this building. I think it is a great fit for them.”