UWF to construct new Health and Wellness Center
Construction will begin this month on the new, state-of-the-art Health and Wellness Center on the Pensacola campus at the University of West Florida. According to UWF Project Manager Jessie Mayo, the goal is to substantially complete the building by March 2011, so departments can move-in during Spring Break. Hogan Construction of Atlanta/Crestview has been selected to construct the 16,114 square-foot facility, which will house three separate departments: the health center, counseling services and wellness services.
“It’s great that all the services these departments offer will be housed under one roof so students will be able to view the Health and Wellness Center as a one-stop-shop for their health and wellness needs,” said Amanda Clonts, Student Government Association president.
Rebecca Kennedy, director of health and counseling services, said the new Health and Wellness Center will allow UWF to improve the services it offers to students due to the increased space and integration of services.
“The new center will contain seven treatment rooms, two observation/treatment rooms and a procedure room, enabling a tremendous increase in the number of students who can be treated in a day,” said Kennedy. “There’s no doubt that the new center will help us serve our students in a more effective and efficient way.”
On the counseling side, the center will almost triple the space in which counseling services currently operates out of and will enable UWF to expand its training program and offer the space needed in order to hire additional staff.
Some highlights of the new center will include exterior plazas, an open glass lobby and a roof garden. The center is funded through the State University System Capital Improvement Fee Legislative Budget for 2008-2009. The building is designed and will be constructed to be certified to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED “Silver” level. LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. “Silver” is one of the four certification levels for new construction that the LEED rating system offers. Others include Certified, Gold and Platinum. Each corresponds to the number of credits accrued in five green design categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources and indoor environmental quality.
For more information about the UWF Health and Wellness Center, contact Kennedy at (850) 474-2420 or e-mail rkennedy@uwf.edu. For more information about the building construction, contact Mayo at (850) 474- 3139 or e-mail jmayo@uwf.edu.
By Lauren Smith, University Marketing Communications
