Groundbreaking ceremony for new nursing, health sciences facility March 25

Computer rendering of the yet-to-be-named nursing and health sciences building.
BUIES CREEK — Campbell University officials will symbolically break ground on the second piece of its health sciences campus — a 70,000-square-foot facility that will house the school’s nursing, physical therapy and medical research programs.
A ceremony celebrating the new health sciences building is set for 2 p.m. on March 25 near the Leon Levine Hall of Medical Sciences, built in 2013 for the Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine and Campbell’s physician assistant program. Construction on the new facility will begin immediately and is expected to be complete by spring of 2016.
The University will invest $20 million in its new programs and new building. The facility will allow Campbell to educate health science students in a team-like, interprofessional atmosphere. Doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physical therapists, physician assistants and administrators will learn alongside each other, making a difference in future health outcomes for patients and families, according to Nancy Duffy, director of the nursing program.
“The new building challenges us to prepare students for new roles in nursing as health care systems transform delivery to patients and populations,” said Duffy, who welcomed more than 70 students to Campbell’s first pre-nursing seminar this fall. “Our students will be the next generation of a new workforce.”
State-of-the-art labs will expose students to the latest technologies and will position Campbell as a national leader for training health care professionals in a true interdisciplinary setting. The nursing program will have access to four Objective Structured Clinical Examination spaces (exam room replicas), while the medical research additions will train medical students for high-level residency programs. Labs will also be built specifically for physical and occupational therapy students.  
“The facility provides a living, breathing, interactive environment for nursing and health professions students to learn with and from each other,” said Greg Dedrick, director of Campbell’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program and associate professor of health studies. “It is housed with technology and tools that provide real and challenging training opportunities preparing students to deliver quality healthcare to patients.”
The name of the facility will also be unveiled at the March 25 ceremony. The event will be held under a large tent on the west side of the health sciences campus. A reception will follow immediately. For more information, contact Susan Litton at (910) 893-1215 or email [email protected]/* */.