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V O L . X X I X N O. X X I S E P T E M B E R 1 8 , 2 0 2 3 22 H E A LT H C A R E / W E L L N E S S "ere will be a migration of students in and out of the building." Even smaller features — such as a walkway and café — were pur- posely placed to ensure mingling of COM, Westbrook College of Health Professions and College of Dental Medicine students. Design UNE recruited Portland-based SMRT Architects and Engineers for the design, led by Phil Chaney. "One of the things that was impor- tant for us was to integrate the new COM building with the existing his- toric campus," says SMRT President Ellen Belknap. e new building connects to the older Innovation Hall. It's oriented with the front door facing the historic campus. "We're knitting together the fabric to make one campus, instead of a his- toric campus with an adjunct medical school," says Belknap. e center is roughly shaped like a backward "L" with the foot of the "L" extended by a glass walkway con- necting with Innovation Hall. e "L" wings, with large expanses of glass, border a courtyard. e first and second floors have interactive group rooms, offices, soft seating areas, a large lecture hall, rest- rooms, changing rooms and a lacta- tion room. e third and fourth floors have a large classroom, interactive group rooms, additional offices, a fac- ulty suite, teaching and clinical skills training pods, a morgue and labs. Features designed with ease of teach- ing and collaborative learning in mind include clinical skills pods — a major upgrade where students can learn proce- dures such as taking blood pressure and suturing. One lab pod is dedicated to non-COM health professions, reducing the need to move cadavers around. e use of smaller pods, compared with large classrooms, allows fac- ulty to work with specific groups of students and breaks up space, keeping down noise. Large rooms maximize col- laboration. Interactive classrooms with moveable furniture allow for numerous configurations conducive to teamwork. A front-back elevator, separate from the passenger elevator, will make cadaver transport easier and more private. Construction of smaller spaces uses a wood system called cross-laminated timber. Large spaces, like laboratories, incorporate steel framing. "We use the steel where the demands of the program require longer spans. Wood accommodates spaces that have smaller spans," says Belknap. Belknap credits UNE for its sustain- ability mission, which sets a high bar for energy-efficiency. In the labs, the project uses German-made Konvekta high-effi- ciency energy recovery system — a first for SMRT. Operational savings, versus a traditional energy recovery system, is estimated at $38,000 per year. UNE also received a $47,500 rebate from Efficiency Maine that reduced the system's payback from 7.4 to 6.1 years. e new facility will accommodate 200 students per class, compared with 165 today. More faculty hiring is expected. "We find there are people who have been practicing a while but they enjoy teaching," says Herbert. "We try to find and recruit those people. We also use practicing clinicians who teach one or two days per week." Bedside manner e intentions behind the interprofes- sional campus reflect the latest thinking in health care and how it should be taught. "We have a problem with health care being siloed and we need to break down those silos," says Herbert. "If you have a loved one in hospital, they treat you like you're a bunch of disembodied body organs. You get random consults and one doctor will provide meds and then another will prescribe meds." Conversely, he continues, holis- tic, team-based approaches result in reduced medical errors, improved Partnership Opportunities Include: • Sponsor an event like our live auction or golf tournament • Hold a promotion where a percentage of sales/proceeds benefit mental health • Invest in mental health coverage for families unable to pay. • Media sponsorship including TV, radio, print, and digital channels. Contact Justin Chenette, Senior Director of Public Relations and Advancement if interested in exploring a corporate or business partnership today: jchenette@sweetser.org or 207-590-3266. All Mainers deserve access to behavioral health. Your partnership with us can make that a reality. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E F O C U S R E N D E R I N G / C O U R T E S Y O F S M R T The center will be shaped like a backward "L," with the foot of the L extended by a glass walkway extended by a glass walkway connecting with Innovation Hall.

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