New Improvements Build a Closer Community
Construction Will Change the Face of the Medical Center
Construction is underway on a new Education Union and recreation center at Saint Louis University Medical Center -- two improvements that will make the campus that houses SLU's health sciences programs even more vibrant.
The campus is home to the schools of medicine, nursing and public health; Doisy College of Health Sciences; Center for Advanced Dental Education; Center for Health Care Ethics; and Center for Outcomes Research.
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The Education Union will beautify the streetscape of the Medical Center. |
Expected to open in 2011, the facilities will add to the dramatic changes to the campus' landscape that began in 2007 with the opening of the Edward A. Doisy Research Center, a 10-story glass and steel soaring testament to the University's dedication to biomedical research.
Located in the heart of the medical center, the brick and glass 30,000-square foot Education Union promises to be the hub of activity at the Medical Center, and will serve as a new sleek and welcoming front door for the campus known for its pioneering education for future health care professionals. A new addition will double the size of the building that used to belong to Tenet, which is being refurbished.
The Education Union will be for both relaxation and education. It will include a 225-seat, state-of-the art auditorium for large lecture classes as well as areas for study.
The building also will house the new teaching space for SLU's standardized patient simulation education program, which offers students a learning opportunity to practice new diagnostic and communication skills on "patients" who really are actors feigning illnesses. The building will include a café-style restaurant and student lounges, and will be the new home of SLU's Interprofessional Education Center, an innovative program that teaches collaboration and teamwork to tomorrow's health professionals.
A short walk from the Education Union, SLU literally is leveling the playing field of a new athletic complex that is expected to be complete next spring. The facility will contain an NCAA-regulation, eight-lane running track, which rings a full-sized soccer field. The athletic center will expand opportunities for all students to participate on intramural and club sports teams, and will be a convenient oasis for the Saint Louis University Medical Center family to enjoy informal opportunities for exercise. In addition, it will be the home field of SLU's Division I track team, pumping additional energy into the Saint Louis University Medical Center.
"Having these central congregating places will cement the sense of community among students, faculty and staff at Saint Louis University Medical Center," said Philip Alderson, SLU's vice president for health sciences and dean of the School of Medicine. "Along with the Doisy Research Center, both projects will change the face of Saint Louis University Medical Center to make it an even more inviting place."