By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune managing editor
Members of the Northern Kentucky University community came together to sign the final steel beam for what will become the University’s Health Innovation Center.
Following remarks from NKU President Geoffrey S. Mearns and St. Elizabeth Healthcare CEO Garren Colvin, the beam was lifted into place atop the structure.
“It has been truly exciting to watch this new academic facility take shape on our campus,” Mearns said. “We are pleased that students, faculty, staff, and our friends in the community joined us to mark this important milestone in the center’s journey toward completion.”
The new facility will be home to NKU’s College of Health Professions, scheduled to open in 2018. Members from each of the University’s six colleges 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 health challenges such as addiction and chronic illness. An addiction science program will be included in new academic offerings.
“As many of you know there is a need, a well-documented need to expand existing programs,” Mearns said. “In this facility we will incorporate a variety of transdisciplinary academic programs. We will provide those programs in flexible spaces that can adapt to new technologies and new training methods.”
The Kentucky General Assembly allocated $97 million for the project in 2014. St. Elizabeth Healthcare has contributed $8 million to construct and equip a two-story, state-of-the-art St. Elizabeth Healthcare Simulation Center, which will provide a high-tech learning experience for students.
Colvin said St. Elizabeth Healthcare wants to help Northern Kentucky become one of the healthiest communities in America.
“A community is only as good as its education and its health care,” Colvin said.
The project also includes the renovation of Founders Hall and construction of a new, adjacent facility on the Northwest Side of the University campus.
Contact Mark Hansel at mark.hansel@nkytrib.com