Northern Kentucky University’s new Health Innovation Center has gone vertical.
The first steel column — 30-foot-tall steel — was installed Tuesday afternoon.
The new academic facility is set to open in 2018. It will be home to the College of Health Professions and will also bring together experts from each of NKU’s six colleges, who will create transdisciplinary teams to study health care from new perspectives.
The approach will combine data analytics, psychology, preventative care, and holistic approaches to help address population health challenges such as addiction and chronic illness. New academic offerings will include an addiction science program.
The project includes the renovation of Founders Hall, NKU’s second-oldest academic building, and construction of a new adjacent facility on a 2.2-acre site on the northwest side of the University’s Highland Heights campus. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in October.
It is funded by $97 million allocated in 2014 by the Kentucky General Assembly. St. Elizabeth Healthcare has also invested $8 million to construct and equip the two-story, state-of-the-art St. Elizabeth Healthcare Simulation Center, which will provide a high-tech, real-world learning experience for students.
Representatives of the University and the construction manager, Turner Construction Co., were on hand for the event Tuesday.
The final steel beam is expected to be laid in late August or early September, and a topping-out ceremony will be held at that time.
From NKU Public Relations