The Salina City Commission approved a pair of leases for the Salina/Saline County Health Department to use rent free, buildings owned by Salina Regional Health Center to house clinical operations and administrative operations.

Clinical operations would take place at 625 E. North, a building that one time housed REMA Bakeware before being purchased by the hospital.

Administrative operations of the Health Department would be located at 148 N. Oakdale, a part of the old St. Johns Hospital Campus or also known as the Penn Campus, when St. John’s merged with Asbury Hospital to become Salina Regional Health Center.

Although the lease is at zero cost, and is month to month, The Health Department would have to pay utilities cost and a $5000 deposit for use of the buildings.

The Salina/Saline County Health Department has to move out of it’s longtime location at 125 W. Elm after it was determined that the building is structurally unsafe.

The Saline County Commission is also expected to take up the leases at their weekly Tuesday morning meeting.