Demand prompts NWACC expansion

BENTONVILLE — According to the U.S. Department of Labor, ten of the 20 fastest-growing occupations are health care related. This burgeoning sector is projected to generate more new wage and salary jobs between 2008 and 2018 than any other industry.

NorthWest Arkansas Community College hopes to help address the growing need by constructing an 83,000-square-foot Center for Health Professions. Plans call for the building to be fully eco-friendly and feature state-of-the-art teaching equipment. The new center comes with a $14.2 million pricetag funded by two bond issues in 2010.

Construction is in high gear, and ahead of schedule to meet the January 2013 opening. Building superintendent William Rossborough of Nabholz Construction said the building should be completed by Nov. 1 and ready for owner occupancy.

Mary Ross, dean of Health Professions, said the facility can't open soon enough as all of the health related programs — such as nursing, emergency medical technician and paramedic — are filled to capacity.

"We're constrained by space, so we've had to turn very qualified applicants away," Ross said.

The department hopes to eventually increase its student base by 75%. The expansion should immediately raise the department's capacity from approximately 1,350 students to 2,307.

The new building will allow the department to expand its program, and includes three classrooms designed specifically for the emerging field of health information management. Part of that profession includes the ability to code medical records for billing.

Ross said Health Information Management is only going to grow as all health care facilities start to to comply with the federal government's all-electronic mandate.

"Each facility's reimbursement is tied to coding, so the potential for that field is huge," she said.

SIMULATING SUCCESS
Ross said the new center will offer students "more varied experiences" in training for their chosen professions thanks to new simulation labs. She estimates at least 25% of clinical training in nursing can be achieved in a simulated environment. Ross says simulating helps students better prepare for clinical training.

The school recently purchased two high-tech simulation mannequins, and hopes to add a couple more by the time the facility is complete. Ross said the mannequins breathe with other vital signs and are programmable with at least 150 different real-life scenarios.

"We can make these mannequins act like they're a 22-year-old having a reaction to a bee sting or a patient who's 75-years-old going into cardiac arrest," Ross said.

Instructors in the completed facility will be able to place one of the high-tech mannequins into the back of an on-site ambulance simulator. Emergency response and paramedic students may then simulate actually moving a patient into and out of an ambulance and providing treatment during transport.

The center will also feature up-to-date video capture software to allow more collaboration with other schools and hospitals.

LEED THE WAY
School officials are hoping to obtain a silver certification in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), which would be the first building of its kind at NWACC.  LEED is a rating system for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly buildings.

Jim Lay, executive director of facilities and construction management, said this might not be NWACC's last attempt at a LEED-certified facility.

"We thought we would go for the LEED certification," he said. "Then we'll evaluate the construction and post-construction processes, to see if it's something we want to do in the future."

Every aspect of building's design, construction and use is taken in account for LEED certification. All building materials were purchased from vendors as close to campus as possible, mainly to cut down on transportation emissions. Trucks entering and leaving the construction site have their tires washed to avoid cross-contamination. All excess concrete, paper, wood and other materials used at the site will be recycled.

The walls of the facility will be coated with bio-friendly paint and its air systems will feature a covered dust resistant duct ventilation system. Wastewater is sent through a five-stage filtering system, so when water arrives at a detention area, it's already been organically filtered.

FINANCING GREEN
In this era of expense reduction, critics wonder if the potential savings provided from energy efficiency can offset the added costs associated with LEED certification.

Lay said it’s too early to know for sure, but going green requires a look at energy consumption after the building is in use. The college and building engineers are held accountable to prove the energy savings.

NWACC is paying for the new center with the help of taxpayers and through its own general revenue streams from student fees and tuition. The board of trustees approved one-third of the bond repayment to come from taxpayer millage with two-thirds of the cost covered by student-generated revenue. Ross is confident more students will bring the needed revenue to retire the debt.

The college issued $9.5 million in tax free capital improvement bonds in May 2010. The interest rate varies from 3-to 5.25% with a maturity date of May 20, 2035. Another $5 million was raised by a taxable capital improvement bond also due at the same time. The net rate of interest on the taxable issue is 4.55%, according to Charles Ramseyer, vice president of finance at the college.

Center for Health Professions building at NorthWest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville.