Above, an architectural rendering of a possible design for the planned community wellness center in Guzman Hall.
Mount to construct community wellness center on campus
With dedication to service and community as a guide, the Mount will begin converting Guzman Hall into the Community Engagement and Wellness Center in the fall of 2021.
The center will provide medical and educational services for low income individuals and families, including the uninsured. It will offer workshops, family counseling services, fitness checks, immunizations, professional development events, and more for local residents. Once completed, the college expects the center to serve more than 4,000 residents per year. In addition to providing opportunities for area educators and professionals to volunteer their services, the center will also house the college's Desmond programing for adult enrichment.
In the first 12 months of the project, the Mount will complete the necessary renovations; collaborate with community partners like Montefiore St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital, the City of Newburgh, and Newburgh Ministry to identify critical areas of need; and develop a full programming map for the center. The center is estimated to be completed in the late spring or early summer of 2022.
Helping the college along in this journey is a $1 million Higher Education Capital (HECap) matching grant awarded by New York State. Under this program, the state will contribute one dollar of support for every three dollars spent by the Mount, for a total of $1 million in grant aid.
The HECap grant came just weeks after the college secured a $425,000 grant towards the wellness center from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation. The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization with the mission to improve the health and well-being of vulnerable New Yorkers, bolster the health outcomes of targeted communities, eliminate barriers to care, and bridge gaps in health services.
"Mount Saint Mary College is truly grateful to New York State and the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation for helping us to create the Community Engagement and Wellness Center," said Dr. Jason N. Adsit, president of the Mount. "We're excited to be giving the local community access to the care and education programs they need, while honoring our founding Dominican Sisters and their legacy of service."
The Mount will move into the future by embracing and amplifying the concept that is at its core: service matters. Compassionate care at the center will be modeled by faculty and students. The college's School of Nursing will play a large role in carrying out the center's mission of aiding Newburgh residents who have little or no access to basic healthcare services. As the center develops, faculty and hundreds of students in the college's Business, Education, Social Sciences, and many other disciplines will also lend their skills to the program.