HCC starts work on new health sciences building

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

(The Horizon Foundation) -- A $50-million health sciences building, aimed at handling Howard Community College’s burgeoning health care programs, will soon be a part of the HCC landscape.

The Columbia college broke ground on the building in the early morning sunshine Monday.

Howard County Executive Kenneth Ulman, County Council Chairman Calvin Ball and state Del. Elizabeth Bobo were on hand not only to speak, but to don hard hats and shovels to begin construction.

The four-story, 112,766 square-foot building is expected to open in the spring of 2013, and will house numerous health science programs, including physical therapy, nursing and exercise science.

The college’s nursing and allied health programs are “bursting at the seams,” said Kate Hetherington, president of HCC. More than 150 students were placed on the waiting list for nursing programs in the fall semester.

“This is a great opportunity for students,” Hetherington said. “We’re expanding our existing program to accommodate the demand of students going into the nursing field.”

Currently, several health science programs are housed in temporary trailers, including the emergency medical services program.

“It was supposed to be a year, but we’ve been there for four or five years,” said Patty Neal, clinical coordinator of the EMS program. “We’re looking forward to there being enough space for different amenities to be inside one building. We’re very, very excited.”

Students in the EMS program are together for 18 hours a week, 11 months of the year, said Angel Burba, EMS program director.

“It will be nice to spread out, have room to relax,” she said. “The trailer we’re in, it’s as state-of-the-art as the college can provide, but we’re using a multi-purpose room as a classroom and lab. In this building, we’ll have classrooms, and labs, separate.”

Preparing students for jobs in health care is important, Ulman said, for the economy and for the community.

“If we want to emerge from this recession with a strong economy, it’s critical we prepare our workforce for the future,” he said. “Jobs in health care are great, flexible jobs that can be relied on, because the need is always there. This is about helping people help their community.”

The building will cost $49.2 million over four years and is funded by $23.7 million from the state and $25.5 million from the county government. The Horizon Foundation contributed to the building, as well, with a $356,408 grant.

Ulman called the project an “investment well worth it.”

Ball agreed, calling the occasion “an intersection of education, economic development and health.”

“This is a day to be remembered, and a day to be celebrated,” Ball said.

Article republished from Explore Howard.