The Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (HCOM) will develop a new medical building and curriculum, both of which will be the first of their kind in the U.S.
It will be the beginning of a modern and flexible curriculum in HCOM, focusing on health and wellness.
The new curriculum will be a program called Pathways to Health and Wellness, which teaches wellness for patients, students and even faculty members.
Kenneth Johnson, the executive dean of HCOM, said HCOM is looking to be the first medical school in the country to get WELL certification. WELL certification is an international institute that promotes buildings which impact human health through things like light, water, fitness, nourishment, comfort and mind.
“It’s very rare that an existing medical school gets to develop a new curriculum and design space for it to occur,” Johnson said. “We want to promote as much wellness as we can inside the space and really be a national model on how to train medical students.”
The new building will be built on a green on West Union Street near other medical facilities. The new green will be called Union Street Green.
The building is a $65 million project, mostly paid for by the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation. Construction is planned to start in May 2019, Noel Davis, the project manager for Campus Development in HCOM, said. It is planned to be completed in November 2020 and open for the Spring Semester in 2021.
Johnson said the building is designed to support the well-being of both students and faculty. It will have a lot of natural light and will be environmentally friendly. There will be also be a cafe open to the public and fitness room open to HCOM students and faculty.
Beth Maxon, the chief administrative officer at HCOM, said the building was designed with the ability to expand if needed.
“We are very proud of our upcoming development,” Johnson said. “It will be a refreshing addition to the university, but will still stay true to our heritage.”
