OU gets state funding for human health building

Oakland University will receive state funding for a new Human Health Building, thanks to the capital outlay bill passed by the Michigan legislature and recently signed into law by Governor Jennifer Granholm. The measure, part of an initiative to address funding projects for state university and community college campuses, will provide $40 million of the $61 million total cost of the building.

The proposed 157,300-square-foot Human Health Building will house the School of Health Sciences (SHS) and the School of Nursing (SON) as part of a broad effort to address the looming shortages in the health care industry and widen the university’s economic impact on the region. The facility will significantly enhance education and research opportunities by providing state-of-the-art resources, including simulation labs, an interactive media center, a public health clinic for pre-symptom treatments and a distance learning classroom.

“Consolidating our SON and SHS activity under one roof will bring together the multi-disciplinary talent and expertise of our academic and clinical faculty,” said Oakland University President Gary Russi. “This will in turn foster collaboration in scholarly research endeavors and provide team learning opportunities for students. Students will also benefit from the addition of simulation labs, clinics configured to specific health care disciplines that reflect modern facilities found in hospitals and clinical settings, laboratories that model the best hospital rooms and health care facilities including assisted care living, an interactive media center, shared common spaces including a public health clinic for pre-symptom treatments, a distance learning classroom, seminar rooms and more.”

Along with the planned opening of the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in 2010, pending LCME and NCA approval, the Human Health Building will help cement OU's reputation as one of the leading public universities in the state and foster efforts to position the region as a premier destination for health education. Such efforts support the recently announced Oakland Medical Initiative led by Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson.