On Friday, Oct. 26, the Joel and Elizabeth Johnson Center for Health and Wellness was officially dedicated. The event, which took place in front of the near-complete facility, included speeches by College President David Wippman, Dean of Students Terry Martinez, and Joel and Elizabeth Johnson. The Johnsons also participated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside their extended family and Wippman.

Joel Johnson is a Hamilton alumnus whose appreciation for health services on campus began as a student, when, while playing intramural football, he sustained injuries that required the treatment from health center nurses. He joked that “the Health Center was a lot less out-of-date then.”

Johnson said that he and his wife Elizabeth saw health and wellness as a “glaring area where we could improve.” They viewed modernized health and wellness facilities as “a very clear need on all college campuses” and described the new center as a “great opportunity to step forward.”

In 2015, when the College’s Health and Wellness Centers had outgrown their respective buildings, the Johnsons stepped forward with the lead gift to make the construction of a new facility a reality. Since then, they have worked closely with construction workers, architects, landscapers, and the College to ensure that the facility meets all standards.

The new facility — under construction since August 2017 — will be the new home for the Health and Counseling Centers, which currently reside in separate buildings and will benefit from brand-new equipment and technology. The building will allow for more space to work, as well as providing a modern and calming space for students and professional staff alike.

Dr. David Walden, Director of the Counseling Center, is excited to have the new space nearly complete, saying, “It’s beautiful, calming, and warm at the same time, and centrally located for convenient access. I think the new space is a beautiful addition to campus.”

The central location of the Counseling Center addresses frequent complaints that the current Counseling Center being down the Hill and difficult to access. The new building is almost directly in the center of campus, making it more visible and easy to reach.

Dr. Walden elaborated on the new services that the Counseling Center can now provide in the facility, saying: “The new space will provide us with the ability to provide concurrent groups, a new Wellness Room that will house biofeedback and a state-of-the-art massage chair, a kitchen space for healthy cooking and eating workshops, and additional programming space for art therapy and other services that complement our traditional offerings.”

He attributes these additions to a last-minute floor plan change made just before construction began, which added 1,000 square feet to the second floor of the building to be used by the Counseling Center.

Barbara Fluty, Director of the Health Center, says the new facility will allow more flexibility for their staff, saying, “With this new facility we now have additional space in case our staff grows in the future.” Such flexibility will allow the Health Center personnel to better provide “acute and chronic medical care, sexual health exams/ screenings, travel counsel and vaccinations, physical exams and concussion management,” among other services, according to Fluty.

The current Health and Counseling Center staff will finalize their move into the new Joel and Elizabeth Johnson Health and Wellness Center over the week of Thanksgiving.