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Campus Announcements

New Clinical Health Sciences and Wellness facility opens

Physician Associate Studies program is underway; TriHealth Student and Employee Clinics are open; SPA and Nursing classes begin in the new building fall semester

by Susan Meikle, University Communications and Marketing • Published •
Exterior , east side of the CHSW
The east side of the Clinical Health Sciences and Wellness facility faces Phillips Hall, forming a geographic Corridor of Excellence (image by Scott Kissell)
Campus Announcements

New Clinical Health Sciences and Wellness facility opens

The east side of the Clinical Health Sciences and Wellness facility faces Phillips Hall, forming a geographic Corridor of Excellence (image by Scott Kissell)
by Susan Meikle, University Communications and Marketing • Published •

Miami University’s new Clinical Health Sciences and Wellness facility is open for business, with the final furniture and occupants moving in over the next few weeks in time for fall semester classes.

Construction of the $96 million, 165,000 square foot building began in December 2020 with the removal of the former Student and Employee Health Center. Construction was completed by April. 

Located at 421 S. Campus Ave., the Clinical Health Sciences and Wellness (CHSW) facility comprises three wings, connected by a “wellness ribbon,” or corridor. The corridor connects three academic programs and three clinics both figuratively and collaboratively, said Marilyn Heflin, project manager for the facility.

The building is part of Miami's first "corridor of excellence," said Steve Large, assistant vice president of health and wellness in the Division of Student Life. Its proximity to Miami's Recreational Sports Center, Phillips Hall, and the Goggin Ice Arena creates a corridor that will naturally promote cross-divisional partnerships in key educational and co-curricular programs. 

Miami’s new PA program inaugurates the facility  

Students in the first cohort of Miami’s new Master of Medical Science/Physician Associate Studies (PA) program started classes in the north academic wing May 15. 

Christopher Howell, the program’s director and associate teaching professor, said, "We are thrilled to welcome these exceptional graduate students to our program. Each has accomplished much in their undergraduate studies and health care experience." The program is honored to partner with them in building a career as clinicians who will care for all Ohioans — particularly those in rural and underserved communities, Howell said. 

Students in the 27-month PA program spend 15 months on-campus for didactic training, followed by 12 months of clinical rotations with area partners.

Nursing and SPA start fall semester in new home

The Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology (SPA) is moving into the new facility from Bachelor Hall, and the Oxford cohort of the BSN Nursing program is moving from Pearson Hall. 

"The Department of Nursing is excited to welcome close to 240 first-year nursing students in the fall semester, representing the largest incoming class in the program's 56-year history," Stephanie Nicely, interim chair and associate professor of Nursing, said. The Oxford cohort of 160 first-year students will enter the facility in August, along with nearly 250 upperclass students. 

Classrooms and laboratories are in the north academic wing and faculty offices in the middle wing. Speech Pathology and Audiology research labs are on the third floor of the middle wing, adjacent to the new location of Miami’s Speech and Hearing Clinic. 

"The opening of the innovative, interdisciplinary space speaks to Miami University's commitment to advancing health science programming at the university and supporting the healthcare workforce within our surrounding communities," Nicely said. 

Clinics Wing: Health Services opened June 6

The south clinics wing houses the TriHealth Employee and Student Health Centers on the first floor, the Student Counseling Service on the second floor, and Miami’s Speech and Hearing Clinic on the third floor.

Health Services moved into their new location June 6 from their temporary location at Harris Hall.

“There is significantly more space with the most up-to-date and current medical equipment,” Large said. “From the very beginning, the planning and design work was done knowing the audience was going to be patients and health care students.”

TriHealth’s Student Health Services provides comprehensive health care to students, and TriHealth’s Employee Health Center provides high-quality care at no cost for faculty and staff. The new location offers 33 treatment rooms —up from 23 previously. On average, more than 7,000 students and employees are served by health services each year with approximately 13,760 appointments.

Miami’s Student Counseling Service now offers 37 counseling rooms — up from 21 previously — and two group rooms equipped with new technology to facilitate treatment. On average, student counseling will serve 1,800 students and provide 10,500 appointments each year. 

The Speech and Hearing Clinic will move from its Bachelor Hall location on June 20. The new facility offers 15 exam rooms, compared to 10 previously. The clinic serves more than 2,800 appointments and 670 patients from the tri-state area annually. 

drone view of the chew building looking from the southeast corner
A patients’ entrance to the clinics wing is located at the southeast corner (above), with signage for the different clinics. A limited number of reserved spaces in the South Parking Garage are designated for patients, and garage vouchers will allow patients to exit either parking garage (South or North) at no charge. 
lounge with round tables and chairs, a green wall and a window-filled wall

Office of Student Wellness

The Office of Student Wellness moved from its temporary location in Boyd Hall into its new, expanded space in the north wing of the CHSW.

Pictured above is one of several light-filled lounges and study areas on the first floor. This one is off the wellness corridor near the Office of Student Wellness.

The new Wellness Studio will provide wellness opportunities such as yoga and meditation for Miami community members. “The sky’s the limit in terms of how that will take shape,” Large said. “Our Nursing students and PA students can look at having training and practical experiences at Health Services or in the Wellness Studio.

“This is an opportunity to look at how these programs within the space partner with each other. There are many players and teams involved, and to me that’s at the heart of the transdisciplinary approach.”

View of the healing garden at the CHSW - raised planters with creeping geraniums and other plants set in a path of crushed stone

Cafe to open in August

A cafe, located in the middle wing, will open in August at the start of fall semester.

Aramark will operate the dining facility; the menu will include various grab-and-go items, bakery items, coffee, and “Farmer’s Fridge” brand vending options. 

Pictured at left is the healing garden. It is located between the center and south wings and accessible from the first-floor wellness corridor.

How it started ...

Below: the building foundation in early 2021. The CHSW faces Phillips Hall and Goggin Ice Center.

 

Aerial view of the building foundation during early construction
Tagged:
Health and Well-Being , Graduate School , Regionals , MU News , Regionals - Nursing , CAS - Physician Associate , Academic Affairs , Student Life , CAS , CAS - Speech, Pathology, and Audiology