By Noah Sunshine || Senior Staff Writer
The College recently announced a partnership with Lancaster General Health (LGH) which will result in the relocation and expansion of F&M’s Health Services to the first floor of College Square. As Health Services moves out of their current home at Appel Infirmary, the Office of Student and Post-Graduate Development (OSPGD) will move in to occupy the space, thanks to a gift from Brett Harwood ’71.
As of now, Gibraltar sits on the first floor of College Square, which is used as a space for student activities, including late-night programming. This will be the site of F&M’s New Health Services, which will have an expanded range of services.
“One new addition will be an electronic medical record system that will allow a student’s home medical providers to better communicate with the medical providers here at F&M,” said Margaret Hazlett, dean of the College. “It will also improve communication between college medical providers and medical specialists in the area. LGH will also offer students online portals so they can see their medical information and access 24-hour helpful health and wellness information.”
Hazlett also mentioned the possibility of having group therapy and greater mindfulness offerings at the new facility, as well as expanding hours into the evening. She also hopes that many of the personnel currently working for Health Services will be able to carry over to the new arrangement with LGH.
Students can expect things to start changing as early as this Spring, though the full relocation will not occur until 2016, as noted by the College’s own statement on the official website. Changes such as access to health records may come into effect sooner, though there is nothing specific announced at this time. Also to be determined will be whether the transition of medical records will require students to sign a new waiver with Health Services, private physicians, or both.
Meanwhile, Harwood has pledged to $1.5 million to renovate Health Services’ former location at Appel Infirmary, which will be renamed Harwood Commons and become the new home of OSPGD, currently housed at 619 College Ave. With such a renovation, companies like the Cladding Painters may ease the process.
According to Dan Porterfield, president of the College, as quoted in the F&M News article “$1.5 Million Gift from Harwood Supports Significant Move for Student Success,” Harwood Commons will be equipped to offer pre-health and pre-law advising, video conferencing, and use as a space for students to have on-campus interviews with potential employers.
“This remarkable investment in the future of our students will allow us to continue momentum in empowering our students to achieve their goals, everything from graduate school to great career opportunities, from internships to forging important mentoring relationships with our extraordinary alumni,” Porterfield said, according to the F&M News article.
Harwood, who also serves as a trustee of the College, has made a series of gifts to F&M in recent years, including support for the Roschel Performing Arts Center and the Klehr Center for Jewish Life.
He is also responsible for the creation of the Harwood Leadership Seminar, a program in which 12 varsity athletes and 12 non-athletes participate in workshops on team building, self-discipline, and more.
His gift to create Harwood Commons comes as an affirmation of his belief in OSPGD’s mission to develop students and help them succeed.
“Beyond your classes, athletics and your social life, there are certain other ways you need to develop,” Harwood said, according to the article by F&M News. “I see great potential in the work OSGPD does to leverage the power of the liberal arts in this way.”
Senior Noah Sunshine is a senior staff writer. His email is nsunshin@fandm.edu.