Second phase of Idaho State University Meridian clinic remodel set to begin

MERIDIAN – Idaho State University’s Sam and Aline Skaggs Health Science Center has been growing and changing, thanks to a $150,000 grant from the Sunderland Foundation, adding to the already almost $2.3 million invested into expansion and upgrades by ISU and the State of Idaho.

The first phase of renovations began in December of 2019, with completion scheduled for the upcoming summer season. From there, the second phase will begin and is expected to conclude in December. Anderson Construction is the contractor, and the architect is Hummel Architects.

Thanks to the aligned health care and educational missions of both ISU and the Sunderland Foundation, ISU was awarded the substantial grant. These funds will help provide updated furnishings and decor in the new clinic spaces.

Currently, the Meridian clinics provide the community with low cost healthcare services in the areas of speech and language, counseling, medication therapy management and dentistry.

The first new offering from the clinics will be clinical rehabilitation counseling, providing for individuals with emotional and physical disabilities to help them achieve their personal, career and independent living goals, supplementing the clinic’s current offerings of individual, couple, and family counseling.

The new psychopharmacology clinic will provide evaluation, psychotherapy and medication management for patients suffering from a variety of mental health conditions requiring psychiatric medication.

The nutrition services outpatient clinic will provide individual and group wellness and medical nutrition therapy counseling for adults, children and families. As a new rotation site for the dietetics interns completing the new Master of Science degree in nutrition, the clinic will not only provide patient services but also engage in collaborative research initiatives of these interprofessional clinics.

Finally, ISU is expanding its physical and occupational therapy offerings to Meridian with a clinic that will provide a practical teaching arm for the Doctor of Physical Therapy and Master of Occupational Therapy degree programs. Students will conduct their first clinical training experience in this clinic prior to rotating off-site. The clinic will provide facilities for faculty research and provide quality therapy services for the underserved and underinsured population located in the Treasure Valley. The occupational therapy section of the clinic is expected to open in fall of 2022.

The counseling, speech and language and physical therapy clinics are set to be improved and expanded by 20,000 square feet.

“These teaching clinics provide the opportunity for ISU students to work side by side with experienced faculty clinicians, providing highly specialized patient care across the lifespan,” said Patricia Marincic, associate vice president for the Kasiska Division of Health Sciences in Meridian. “As the need for skilled health care workers in the Treasure Valley and across Idaho continues to grow, ISU is poised to expand programs to produce caring and compassionate professionals to meet workforce needs. These achievements could not be realized without the support of our donors, the Idaho legislature and University leadership.”