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Sierra Kondos

Special to the News

 

Lamar State College Port Arthur is expanding its campus to bring new opportunities to Southeast Texas students. This summer, the $37.4 million Allied Health building is opening its doors for Allied Health programs as well as the supporting science programs. This move will open space throughout the campus to make room for new areas of study.

 

“The possibilities with this new building are unlimited,” Melissa Armentor, dean of technical programs at Lamar State College Port Arthur, said. It will house all of our allied health programs, as well as the sciences that support all our programs like microbiology, biology, anatomy and physiology.”

 

Armentor said they are gaining over 22,000 square feet with the new building and will be able to consolidate all allied health programs into one building.

 

“Right now, we occupy about 2200 or 22,000 square feet in three separate buildings that house our simulation lab, our nursing program and then our LVN and RN program classrooms as well as surgical technology,” she said. “So again, this is a huge project for our faculty and staff and students. We are all very excited about getting this project off the ground and being able to move in this summer so that we can utilize these much larger facilities.”

 

There is going to be office space for 24 faculties in nursing and the sciences.

 

“There’s also going to be an office suite for the department chair and staff of the anatomy, physiology, chemistry, physical science, biology and microbiology,” she said. “Labs will have 32 seats, which is up from our previous of 24 seats. We’re going to have over 800 square feet of usable storage space to be able to house the equipment used in our biology labs. There is going to be a 72-seat general classroom and a 32-seat general classroom on the first floor, along with gathering spaces for students that have the furniture will have charging devices in it, so that students can sit and charge their laptops or cell phones while collaborating. There will be whiteboards on the wall that they can write on and there’s going to be a space where they can have a private study area.”

 

The second floor of the building was created for students to make a little more noise.

 

“There is 256-seat classrooms and a 55-seat computer lab, as well as the office space for simulation lab coordinators and our surgical tech faculty,” she said. “The Surgical Technology Skills Lab is going to be on the second floor and it’s going to have four simulated or beds and a 26-seat classroom space, along with ample storage for all their supplies. We’re going to have four nursing skills labs, each having 11 beds for skills check off. These skills labs will be utilized by all aspects of our nursing programs, from patient care tech and nurse aid all the way up to the upward mobility RNs. The highlight of this building is going to be the simulation suite that is on the second floor.”

 

The Allied Health Program and supporting sciences have been spread over campus and the new building opens other spaces on the property.

 

“So, we’re starting a Mechanical Maintenance program,” she said. “As well as starting a Physical Therapy Assistance program and a Renewable Energy program. There’s just so many other opportunities that we are going to be able to bring to the students of the Port Arthur and Southeast Texas area because of this new building.”