Serving students: New Wellness Center unites medical, mental health services under one roof

Each year, health professionals at Rowan University provide 12,000 service contacts to students. That number might just increase with the opening of the University’s Wellness Center at Winans Hall, a renovated 21,650-square-foot building that unites medical and mental health services under one roof.

Located at the former site of the University’s bookstore on Route 322, the building has been transformed into an open, inviting Wellness Center that brings together Student Health Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, Healthy Campus Initiatives and Emergency Medical Services.

 A ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the building’s $4.46 million renovation and transformation will be held Wednesday, Sept. 11, at 2 p.m. on the patio of the center.  Tours of the new building will follow the ceremony.

Altogether, the Wellness Center increases space for all of the student health initiatives by approximately 80 percent, according to Blasé Iaconelli, senior project manager/team leader for Rowan’s Facilities Planning and Construction.

 The additional space means better services for Rowan students, says Dr. David Rubenstein, Rowan’s senior director for student wellness.

“With all of our services now in one place, we’re able to hire more staff, increase our training programs and provide more services to students more quickly,” says Rubenstein.

“It’s a jewel of a building that will help us to truly serve the needs of our students in a professional, state-of-the-art atmosphere. We’re here to help keep students healthy and safe.”

Prior to the opening of the Wellness Center on August 27, Rowan students went to the cramped Student Health Services office in Linden Hall and visited Counseling & Psychological Services and Healthy Campus Initiatives in Savitz Hall. EMS, which boasts a corps of 30 active students, was located in Bole Annex.

All services are now in a centrally located, visible area of campus, Rubenstein notes.

“We’re right next to the student center, across from residence halls and close to Rowan Boulevard. It’s a perfect location,” Rubenstein says of the center building, which was built in 1970.

Students visiting the Wellness Center check in for services using five self-service computers. Waiting rooms are spacious and warm and include televisions that transmit vital health and wellness information.

Student Health Services has tripled in size with 11 exam rooms and a full-service laboratory, while offices for Counseling & Psychological Services has increased by a third.

The EMS area in the building’s ground floor includes office space and a new heated ambulance enclosure.

Health classes are meeting in three large academic classrooms located on the center’s first floor.

“Having classrooms here gives students exposure to the health professions—and to our services,” Rubenstein says.

Her job with Student Health Services convinced senior Meagan Donovan to pursue a career in human resource management. The new Wellness Center is a dramatic improvement and will serve students well, she says.

“The building is so bright and inviting. It has a nice flow to it. And it’s full of great people who are really dedicated to helping students,” says Donovan.