Health Services Plans Move to Wien

Several Health Services departments will move to Wien Hall beginning next semester.

Alice! Health Promotion Program and Insurance and Immunization offices will move permanently from their current locations in Lerner Hall and John Jay into the space formerly occupied by a food court on the first floor of Wien.

Administrators expect the new location to temporarily address some of the operational inefficiency created by what they say are inadequate spaces.

Since last September, the University has said Health Services had outgrown its current locations. Columbia made plans to consolidate all five departments in McVickar Hall, the 50,000-square-foot University-owned building on 113th Street which formerly housed the School of Social Work. The $20-million plan for McVickar would have created a radiology suite, pharmacy, and physical-therapy facility.

But Columbia called off the project after facing vociferous opposition from neighboring residents who contended that the plans for McVickar violated a previous commitment Columbia had made to use its properties on 113th Street only for residential purposes. Administrators at the time said they believed a miscommunication of the project’s purposes led to residents’ concerns that Health Services would take on hospital-like functions. McVickar is now slated to house the Office of University Development and Alumni Relations.

Tracy Parker, Health Services spokeswoman, said the University was not certain whether any of the plans regarding the space in McVickar will actually be carried out, but was confident the Wien relocations will allow for some improvements.

“The move will make Health Services more of a visible presence for students on east campus and will provide them with more personalized care,” Parker said.

Health Services said the move will increase private insurance consultations in Wien and enable Primary Care in John Jay to increase clinical capacity. The Office of Disability Services will take the Alice! office space on the 7th floor of Lerner Hall, and Counseling and Psychological Services will spread across the entire 8th floor.

Wien residents said they are not convinced the move would increase awareness of Health Services on campus.

“I don’t think the move will affect my use of Health Services. It’s only a block difference,” Heran Getachew, SEAS ’08, said. Getachew, who lives on the ninth floor, said the noises from ongoing construction make it difficult to study.

Construction began four months ago and is expected to continue from 8 a.m. into the early evenings until next semester. Columbia University Facilities said work hours are scheduled to minimize disturbance to students.

Elizabeth Kraushar can be reached at elizabeth.kraushar@columbiaspectator.com.