Published Saturday, September 30th, 2006
By John Trumbo, Herald staff writer
Not everyone was impressed at Friday's dedication of Columbia Basin College's $13.2 million Health Science Center in Richland. "Sim Man," a medical mannequin, was taking a snooze in one of the teaching labs of the 66,000-square-foot structure.
As 200 people gathered outside the building at 891 Northgate Drive to hear eight speakers detail why CBC's latest construction project represents the future of health care education in the Tri-Cities, Sim Man slumbered, his vital signs stable and respiration rate even.
The $70,000 mannequin is one of several teaching props included in the new building that is the new home for CBC's nursing programs. Tours were offered Friday of the four-story, glass-clad building.
"This is a stunning structure," said Sandy Matheson, a Tri-Citian who serves as Gov. Chris Gregoire's director of the Washington state Department of Retirement Systems.
Matheson said the education facility, across the street from CBC's Richland campus of modular buildings, is "a model for how we can partner to grow education and jobs."
Her comments followed the theme of the dedication --that the center is the result of a team effort involving the college and Kadlec Medical Center in Richland, which contributed $2 million to the project and is leasing the fourth floor for offices for financial services and human resources.
"This project has linked many organizations and individuals," said Lee Thornton, CBC president. He also credited state legislators from the 8th and 16th districts, without whose support he said "this would not have happened."
Thornton said the Health Science Center -- with classrooms, teaching labs and a digital medical library that will be the first of its kind in the Tri-Cities -- will be a "one-stop health science education center."
Rich Cummins, acting CBC president while Thornton takes a yearlong sabbatical, called the center vital to the Tri-Cities' medical and economic health.
"This will help us have health care workers we need right here in this community," said Bill Moffitt, chairman of the Kadlec Medical Center board of directors. "There's a great need in our community now, and it continues to grow every year."
Matheson said the center will train students in nursing, and offer continuing education for individuals who want to further their nursing careers.
"All hospitals and health care providers will benefit from those who graduate from this program," she said.
Of the $13.2 million cost for the Health Science Center, $3.2 million was provided through the CBC Foundation. The U.S. Department of Energy donated the land, and U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings helped obtain $500,000 to bring specialized equipment like "Sim Man" to the state-of-the-art facility.
Bouten Construction was the general contractor.
The center is large enough to allow for future expansion, but already has offices for 22 faculty and six classrooms, in addition to four large teaching labs on the first floor and smaller practice rooms. The center can accommodate almost all of the nursing program and allow it to nearly double in size, said CBC spokesman Frank Murray.
The center, which began offering classes a week ago, is the third piece of CBC's Washington Institute for Science Education program.
The WISE capital program started three years ago and already has seen the construction and opening of the Robert and Elisabeth Moore Observatory, dedicated in November 2004, and the 158,300-square-foot Science and Technology Center, dedicated a year later.
Thornton said during Friday's dedication that WISE grew from a $4 million remodeling of the Pasco campus' T building to a $33 million capital building program.
"It allowed us to take a lead role to grow our own scientists, researchers and health care workers," he said.
