The nearly completed new Health Services building is more advanced, containing more than double the space as the old location, and the staff designed it that way.

The staff helped design the building because they had ideas for what needed to be done.

“Its more comfortable, much more private and it allows our staff to be much more efficient,” said Lynette Drake, Health Services director.

The new additions include a nurses station, medical file room, procedure room, observation room, dark room, utility room, a private consultation area for the telenurse, eye wash station, chemical shower and new x ray equipment, which is all digitally compatible.

“The departments have more space than they had, and they seem to be very happy and content with the new facility,” said Carol Strode, director of facilities planning management. “It is a large improvement over what they had.”

Each provider, the four medical doctors and two nurse practitioners, now has three rooms to use individually to see patients, consisting of the two exam rooms and a consultation room. Each provider only had one or two rooms.

There now is a separate waiting lobby for lab, x-ray and women’s health, and a central supply area.

“It makes us more cost efficient,” Drake said. “Before everything was spread out all over the building and it was difficult to find things.”

Some of the new organizational improvements include reception windows, doors opening to shield the patient for privacy and rooms set up uniform to make it more efficient for nurses to access supplies.

The pharmacy is still located in the main building, but patients do not have to wait in the same lobby. There are separate waiting rooms for pharmacy and career services.

The lobby never runs out of chairs because it is no longer shared with the pharmacy, Drake said.

The pharmacy now carries more over-the-counter drugs and has expanded to include items students have requested along with an electronic sign to display when prescriptions are ready.

Drake said new programs and procedures have been implemented in the new building as well.

An automated check-in allows students the convenience of swiping in with their panther ID card. The checkout counter is no longer so close to check-in, and unless the patient is paying with cash or need a walk out statement, the patient can leave without checking out.

Also, the women’s health program has changed. In the past, before prescribing birth control pills, women must come in and complete a program. Now a updated program is available to complete online.

Drake said students like the privacy of the check-in counter.

Some students feel more comfortable in the new building.

“The old health services was really small and had a run down feel to it,” said Leslie Tharp, a senior nursing major. “The new building is very professional looking and feels like an actual doctor’s office.”

Jill Tucker, a junior nursing major, said the most beneficial improvements are “the fact they have so much more space and all the improvements in technology.”

“The feedback that we have gotten to date has been very positive,” Strode said. “It was a huge undertaking to get this project completed in time frame.”

Strode said the firms need to be commended on their efforts.

“The contractors including Hannig Construction, Industrial Services, Bodine Electric, and Brinkoetter Plumbing and Heating and F.J. Murphy worked together very well as a contractor team,” Strode said. “Epstein worked through associated design issues also. If we would not have gotten cooperation from these contractors, the delivery of this project would have suffered.”

Strode said contractors are continuing to finish up small items on the new health services project.

“We are waiting for Epstein, the architect, to issue the final list of items the contractors need to complete,” Strode said. “They are supposed to be on campus next week to finish this work.”

There is some minor painting to do in some small locations and possibly the most visible remaining item will be the addition of grating on the west side of the building, she said.

“The establishment of a new crop of grass is also very visible,” she said. “The scope of the remaining items is getting smaller day by day. It is typical for this to take some time to complete.”

Strode said only normal repairs are anticipated in the future.

An open house will be held Oct. 9 at Health Services building.

Campus editor Jennifer Chiariello can be reached at [email protected]