Monday, Feb 6 2012 - San Juan County’s Health and Community Services Director, John Manning, has announced that customer service hours at the Department’s main office in Friday Harbor will be extended effective Monday, February 6.

The office, located at 167 Rhone Street in Friday Harbor, will now be open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. It will be closed to walk-in visitors on Wednesdays; however Department staff will be available by telephone, e-mail and by appointment.

Last July, budget cuts and a backlog of required office work forced the Department to begin closing its doors to the public at 1:00 p.m. daily - reducing walk-in access to services by 17.5 hours per week. The new schedule adds back about 9 hours.

Manning said his department set the new schedule after reviewing the community’s need for walk-in services, and his department’s workflow.