Penn State's Student Health Center Complete

Medical care services at The Pennsylvania State University are now located in a convenient one-stop shop. As architects Stephen McDaniel and Gregory Wieland reported in the article Good Medicine in the July 2006 issue of University Business, which covered trends in modern campus health care facilities, Penn State officials had been trying to serve the needs of 42,000 students in a facility constructed to serve 10,000. Far from ideal, that's for sure.

Now, the 64,000-square-foot, $26 million Student Health Center, located at a crossroads between student residence halls, the academic campus, and sports facilities, offers medical, wellness, and counseling services in one place. Designed to invite students inside and with a focus on preventive medicine, the facility aims to be a national model of 21st century health care in a campus setting.

Rather than conveying a dour, clinical feel to visitors, Dr. Margaret Spear, director of University Health Services, says it feels "like a cool downtown urban hotel more than a health care center." Features include floor-to-ceiling windows in the lobby and waiting areas, an art gallery, a student lounge, a full-service pharmacy, and a health education resource library. Sixty exam rooms were designed for privacy, and a color-coded way-finding system to waiting areas helps students navigate the building without intruding on others getting care.

The facility, which also includes an inviting outdoor plaza (shown), was designed by RMJM Hillier of Princeton, N.J.

More information on the health center's project plans can be found here.