Outer Cape Health Is Moving To Orleans

 HARWICH PORT – Outer Cape Health Services plans to relocate its health care facilities to a smaller building in East Orleans in the fall.

Outer Cape Health Services board of directors president Larry Ballantine said the health provider could not come to a new lease agreement with Trish and Tom Kennedy, the present owners of the building where its offices are currently located at 710 Route 28, across from Saquatucket Harbor.

The present lease is due to expire on Oct. 31. The 33,000-square-foot, two-story building was too big for the needs of the health care operation, said Ballantine, and the nonprofit was hoping to reduce its space to just one floor. 

Ballantine said OCHS has reached a five-year lease agreement for use of property at 204 Main Street in East Orleans, he said.

 “In the end…it didn’t work out between us,” said Ballantine.

The second floor of the building in Harwich had been used as administration space, but it was just too large for the organization’s needs, he said. Administration offices moved to another Orleans location a couple of months ago, according to Ballantine.

The East Orleans building has been used as medical facilities before, Ballantine said, adding that alterations for OCHS’ use are needed, and the work will be completed before the operation relocates in the fall.

He said the permitting process has been fast-tracked by both the town of Orleans and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. 

 “I don’t anticipate any delays,” Ballantine added. 

No date has been set for the opening at the new location, and there has yet to be a decision as to when the Harwich facility will close.

The new building is smaller than the present location, Ballantine said, so he anticipates half of the patient services will be done in-house and the other half addressed through telehealth communication, a service OCHS has been promoting recently.

During the five-year lease period on the building in Orleans, OCHS will be looking for land to purchase and build a new facility. Several years ago a parcel along Route 6A at the Orleans/Brewster town line was investigated, but Ballantine said that OCHS never finalized that acquisition.

 Ballantine said it might be easier to purchase land in Harwich or Dennis, adding that is where a lot of the OCHS patients come from.

 “Our goal is to serve everyone in the area,” he said.

Ballantine said he does not know what the Kennedys’ plans are for the building, adding that a “for lease” sign is still posted there.

 “They shouldn’t have trouble leasing it because of its location,” he added.

In an email, Trish Kennedy wrote that it is premature to talk about plans for use of the building after OCHS leaves