MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. - A celebration was held Tuesday, Nov. 27, at Muskegon Community College to mark the opening of the school's new home for health programs.
The $14 million Health and Wellness Center is much more than exercise space. It includes a partnership with Mercy Health that makes the building unique.
The community college has been expanding its footprint in recent years.
The school opened a new technology center in downtown Muskegon, transformed Muskegon's YMCA into the Lakeshore Fitness Center and opened classroom space outside of Muskegon County too.
"We needed to up our game, so to speak, with respect to our infrastructure and we are doing that," said Dale Nesbary, MCC President.
State and county millage money paid for the new Health and Wellness Center on the college's main Muskegon campus. It has all the fitness and recreation space you'd expect. And classroom space for nursing and medical assistant classes.
"For a college of 7,000 students we really needed that," said Nesbary.
Just inside the building's front doors is where Mercy Health will open a primary care center.
"It's called Quarterline Family Care." said Kristen Brown, V.P. Medical Group Clinical Affairs Mercy Health Physician Partners.
The primary care center has eight exam rooms, a treatment room, a lab and will provide MCC nursing students opportunities to complete required clinical hours.
Health professions at the center will treat everything from the flu to infections.
"Basic primary care needs, wellness needs, and chronic disease management like diabetes or high blood pressure," said Brown.
MCC's not done building and remodeling. On campus, the college is working to complete renovation on the automotive building and music and arts facilities too.
The Health and Wellness Center officially opens in January for the start of the Winter semester.
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