The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees approved a $4 million proposal for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) to renovate more than 26,000 square feet of the Learning Resource Center to create a consolidated Student Health and Wellness Center that will integrate student primary care, counseling and wellness, and health promotion. The new design includes construction of a new entrance lobby and elevator tower.
The construction will update and improve UAB’s health offerings and wellness programs for students, and it will include office spaces, counseling rooms, laboratory spaces, triage and medical clearance, associated support spaces, exam rooms, waiting and administration spaces, a nursing station and an x-ray room.
The project will allow UAB to consolidate the Counseling and Wellness Center with the Student Health Services Center, now located at 924 19th Street South and 930 20th Street South respectively. The Learning Resource Center is located at 1714 9th Avenue South.
UAB Vice Provost for Administration and Quality Improvement Harlan Sands said the consolidation will better serve a student population that is expected to continue to see record growth.
“As an institution with great focus on academic and medical excellence, UAB realizes the importance of emphasizing good health in our holistic approach to the education and care of our students,” Sands said. “This facility will allow us to better serve our student population by integrating student health services in a state-of-the-art facility that will meet the needs of our growing student population.”
The Student Health and Wellness Center is estimated to open by the 2014 fall semester.