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PREVIOUSLY

• Senator Mike McGuire Announces $10 Million Investment for Humboldt’s Future Health Care Education Hub

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A new state-of-the-art health care educational hub for both Cal Poly Humboldt and College of the Redwoods, announced in 2022 alongside news of $10 million in state funding, is still in the works, though its planned location has been moved.

When state Senator Mike McGuire first announced the project, on Nov. 1, 2022, he did so from inside the 30,000-square-foot warehouse on Samoa Boulevard, southeast of downtown Arcata and more than a mile and a half from the Cal Poly Humboldt campus.

In an update provided to the Outpost earlier this week, Cal Poly Humboldt Communications Specialist Melissa Hutsell explained that, as a result of the dramatic recent increase in construction costs, the Healthcare Education Hub’s location has been shifted to the Stewart Building, at 1125 16th Street.

Built as a school exactly 100 years ago,  the Stewart Building will be cheaper to renovate in part due to lower structural and fire protection system costs compared to the Samoa site, Hutsell said via email. Located across the street from Arcata High, it’s also closer to Cal Poly Humboldt’s main campus, the Foster Road parking facility and community amenities. And there will be opportunities to collaborate with local high school programs.

Once up and running, the educational facility will be used to train health care professionals such as nurses, psychiatric technicians, EMTs, scrub technicians, respiratory therapists, radiology technicians and more. In announcing it two years ago, McGuire said it will be “the most modern health care learning lab between the Golden Gate Bridge and the Oregon border.”

Hutsell said the project remains a priority for Cal Poly Humboldt, College of the Redwoods and other community partners.

“Since embarking on the project, we’ve continued to build partnerships in our local healthcare system, learn more about innovation and modern healthcare, and work through the design of a new facility with Smithgroup Architects,” she said.

We asked the university communications office for a timeline of construction and completion but did not hear back by the time of this post’s publication. We’ll update when we do.