The University of Chicago is building a new student wellness center, continuing the expansion and enhancement of health, counseling and wellness resources through an integrated, student-focused facility.
“Providing excellent health and wellness services to students in the College, graduate and professional schools is an important priority for the University of Chicago and part of our commitment to supporting the well-being and academic success of our students,” wrote Provost Daniel Diermeier and Michele A. Rasmussen, dean of students in the University, in announcing the new center.
The University in recent years has made a series of enhancements to health and counseling services based on feedback from students and others across the University. Such steps include providing additional staff in student health and counseling services to meet the diverse needs of students and launching innovative new programs, such as telemedicine services, hereditary cancer screenings and drop-in counseling sessions.
The new center, which is a substantial investment in our health, counseling and wellness resources, will improve the existing student health facility on 59th Street and Maryland Avenue. The new center, which is scheduled to open in 2021, will bring together in one location the student health service, the student counseling service, and health promotion and wellness, with a dedicated entrance on 59th Street, all of which are currently housed in separate locations. The new center will provide more space, allowing for the hiring of additional medical and mental health providers on staff.
The center builds on programs and services launched in recent months including the appointment of a full-time case manager in the student counseling service, new programming for faculty to identify and support students in need of mental health resources, and a 30-minute simulation, which is required for all incoming College students, to help students learn to recognize warning signs of psychological distress and encourage friends to seek help.
—Prof. Jacqueline Stewart
