MONT ALTO, Pa.— The Penn State Board of Trustees Committee on Finance, Business and Capital Planning voted today (July 16) to recommend approval of the final plans for the Mont Alto campus’ new $13 million Allied Health Building.
The proposal goes to the full board on July 17 for its consideration.
Positioned on the outer edge of the campus’ quad, the 22,000-square-foot building will be a learning hub for Mont Alto’s signature allied health programs: Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA), Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) and nursing. In addition to classroom and office spaces, facility highlights include simulation laboratories and an ambulance port for the nursing program, enhanced clinical space and equipment for the PTA program, a simulated living space for the OTA program.
“Current trends in health care call for inter-professional collaboration in which teams are formed among various disciplines,” said Michael Doncheski, Penn State Mont Alto’s chief academic officer. “The AHB will provide a space for students to learn in an interdisciplinary environment, better preparing them for their chosen careers and hopefully giving them a competitive edge.”
The University anticipates groundbreaking for the project, originally slated for June 2020 and delayed due to COVID-19, to occur in late summer or early fall of this year, with the building tentatively opening in January 2022.
“Since their inception, our allied health programs have collectively produced over 1,000 health care professionals who are on the frontlines of the battle to keep our communities healthy and vibrant,” said Mont Alto Chancellor Francis K. Achampong. “Their value couldn’t be more evident as our nation battles the novel coronavirus pandemic. This new building enhances our ability to educate the best minds in a state-of-the-art, technology-rich, collaborative environment.”
The Board of Trustees approved the project in November 2018 and later chose Hord Coplan Macht, Inc. from Baltimore, Maryland, as the building’s architect. Kinsley Construction, Inc. of York, Pennsylvania, has been identified as the construction manager.