Briefly speaking: New Student Health and Wellness Center

A new state-of-the-art health facility is serving students at UC Davis.

The Student Health and Wellness Center integrates Student Health Services and partner programs from Counseling and Psychological Services. Officially dedicated in mid-May, it replaces a facility that opened in 1952 as a hospital and infirmary.

The new three-story center, located across La Rue Road from the Activities and Recreation Center, has about 48,000 square feet of usable space, almost double that of the former facility.

Dr. Michelle Famula, executive director of the center, said the extra space makes it easier to care for more patients at once and to coordinate staffing.

Student Candice Andrews, 28, of Loveland, Colo., says the new center has a separate area for mental health that provides a level of privacy not available before. That’s important to her as she learns to deal with her bipolar disorder.

"The old place, you walked in and the clinic was so small, there was no sense of privacy," said Andrews, who completes her graduate fellowship this month for a Master of Fine Arts in directing.

Students themselves were instrumental in designing and funding the $50.3-million project. They passed the Campus Expansion Initiative to levy a fee, beginning in 2003, to pay for the center and several other projects and programs.

Construction began in May 2008 and was completed in January. The building features energy-efficient materials and is expected to qualify for a silver rating under the U.S. Green Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program.

The health center, which has about 50,000 patient visits a year, offers primary, specialty and urgent care; diagnostic services; mental health support; health promotion; and wellness programs. A new system that started this fall — before the new center even opened — makes same-day appointments the routine, rather than the exception.