Patients visiting the Longest Student Health Center will no longer have to navigate a maze to see the doctor.
The university will hold a grand opening to introduce the recently-remodeled health center to the campus and surrounding communities Thursday at 2 p.m
The grand opening will feature of remarks from President Charles Lee and Josh Blades, president of the Student Association, as well as a ribbon cutting ceremony and an open house for anyone wanting to tour the new facility.
The health center will not schedule any visits that day in order to allow people to see all of the new changes.
“The renovations have made the health center more user-friendly. The old center was built in 1964 for a different population of students. These renovations give the university a very modern and progressive health center,” said Bill Broyles, assistant to the vice president on student affairs and health center business manager.
The $1.8 million overhaul is an modernization of the 38-year-old facility.
Broyles said access to the health center was a big problem with the old facility. Renovations of the building reoriented the front door toward the parking lot and added a covered drive-through to give sick or injured patients better access to the building.
Other patient-friendly renovations include the relocation of the pharmacy from the middle of the building to the lobby and more handicapped accessible entrances and bathrooms.
“These types of renovations, in addition to others, help to improve patient flow and access to the building,” Broyles said.
Another concern addressed during the renovation was patient confidentiality, Broyles said. The addition of larger waiting rooms with padded chairs, about 50 percent more examination rooms and nurse stations give students more privacy and comfort.
The biggest improvement in patient confidentiality is the installation of a new computerized system of patient records and appointments, Broyles said.
“Under the old system,” Broyles said, “students had to carry their patient records around the building. The new computerized system alleviates that problem by allowing the doctors access to that information by computer.”
Confidentiality was also improved by separating the clinical services from the non-clinical services offered by the health center. Services such as health education and nutritional counseling now have their own section of the center.
This new addition also includes a classroom for employee and resident hall staff training as well as a new conference room for health center meetings.
New elevators are also a welcome addition to the health center. Broyles said the old elevators were poorly located and slow.
“If a student came to see the doctor with a sprained ankle, they would have to walk all the way down the hall to reach the elevator,” Broyles said. “Now the elevators are located near the entrance and are much faster. The old elevators were the slowest on campus.
Carol Singleton, an employee in medical records, is also proud of the renovations. “We love it. The overall appearance gives the health center a more spacious, professional and comfortable feeling.”