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A New Building For Nursing, Health Care Students At HCC By 2013
Tuesday, January 25, 2011(Columbia Patch) --
With more and more students studying nursing and other health care professions at Howard Community College – and not enough room to hold them – the school is starting construction on a new building designed specifically for those programs.
The college held a groundbreaking ceremony Monday morning on what was previously a parking lot. Construction on the four-story health sciences facility won’t actually start until this spring. Work is expected to wrap up by spring 2013.
“As the demand for health services increases, this innovative facility will provide cutting-edge training and address the needs of the community that we serve,” Kate Hetherington, president of Howard Community College, said in a news release.
The building will be 112,776 square feet in size. For comparison’s sake, the Walmart off Dobbin Road in Columbia has about 107,680 square feet in retail space.
All of that new square footage at Howard Community College will be dedicated to numerous existing programs: cardiovascular technology, emergency medical technician/paramedic, exercise science, health care, health education, human services, life fitness, nursing, radiologic technology, respiratory therapy and surgical technology.
New programs will also be added: dental hygienist, medical diagnostic sonography, medical laboratory technician and physical therapy.
Around 450 students are enrolled in Howard Community College’s health sciences programs, according to a rough estimate from college officials.
An additional 172 students had to be placed on waiting lists in the fall 2010 semester before they could enter the registered nurse or licensed practical nurse programs.
At a county budget hearing in December, Chris Carroll, a student enrolled in Howard Community College's paramedic program, spoke of not having enough room for equipment and training in the double-wide trailer that is presently his classroom.
That will change once the new building is done.
Funding for the project comes from the county and state:
- Of the $4,008,000 cost for designing the building, $2,004,000 came from the state government and $2,004,000 came from the county government.
- Of the $37,862,000 for the building construction, $18,931,000 is coming from the state government and $18,931,000 is coming from the county government. That funding has been split over the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 fiscal years.
The final $49.2 million price tag includes the cost of furniture, equipment, work on the college quad and work on the construction site. Of that, $23.7 million is coming from the state government and $25.5 million from the county government, with the funding split over four years.
The college is also continuing to seek funding for equipment and other expensive program needs.
The Horizon Foundation – a Columbia-based philanthropic organization that focuses on health and wellness – recently granted $356,408 to pay for four faculty members who will work on designing curriculum, forming policy, getting programs accredited and figuring out how best to use the space for all of the programs.