Flathead Valley Community College President Jane Karas provided a sneak peek Thursday inside the new $5.75 million Rebecca Chaney Broussard Center for Nursing and Health Sciences.

Located on the south end of campus, the building harmonizes with the nearby Arts and Technology Building, including distinctive wood slats decorating walls in the light-filled, high-ceilinged lobby.

Contractor Swank Enterprises has seven weeks remaining to complete the 32,000-square-foot building.

Karas said health and science programs will move into the Broussard Center during the first week of April.

“When students come back from spring break who are in these programs, they should be coming here for classes,” she said. “It will be really exciting.”

A grand opening celebration is scheduled for April 30.

Karas started the tour in the new student health clinic that includes a reception area, two exam rooms and offices. She said the clinic would open for the fall semester to provide low-cost health care to students.

“We’re looking at the options of how to staff it,” she said.

Just down the hall, nursing mothers who are students or college employees will have a comfortable room designed for their use with a couch and refrigerator. Karas said the college now makes space available for nursing mothers but has no dedicated area.

“It’s close to the health clinic, so it’s really an optimal spot,” she said.

Moving into the surgical technology space, Karas said students will learn in a simulated operating room with tables, lights and storage. Kalispell Regional Medical Center has been providing the space to train students.

“They’ve been great partners, but they’re expanding and they need space,” she said.

Continuing the tour at the east-side entrance, Karas said the lobby will have seating for students and a donor wall. A Nancy Cawdrey painting will hang on a prominent wall.

Fogged glass windows and panels will separate the large nursing program area from the lobby.

“We’ll have the recognition wall for Becky Broussard right here,” Karas said, pointing to the area for the glass panels. “We’ll also have a tribute garden outside.”

The Broussard family donated $4 million for the building as a tribute to Rebecca. She was a nurse, philanthropist and major figure in the world of equestrian eventing with the annual Event at Rebecca Farm.

After community fundraising chipped in $1.36 million, the college broke ground for the building in early May 2012. It’s the first building on campus constructed entirely with private dollars.

The large area off the lobby dedicated to nursing studies reflects the need for trained nurses and the explosive growth of the community college’s programs, including practical nursing and the new registered nurse associate’s degree.

Students will train in an area simulating a hospital with beds, a hospital restroom and nursing station brightened by a skylight. Separate rooms provide space for simulated patients operated from a control station where instructors observe students responding to various conditions.

“They simulate a person breathing, having a heart attack,” Karas said.

Another area that can be divided by a movable wall provides space for paramedicine and emergency medical technician programs. These students also will have a simulated patient for realistic practice.

“Right now they are in a really small space with no storage,” Karas said.

Moving toward the west end of the building, the tour progressed to a spacious room designed for the physical therapist assistant program. Karas said these students need a really large area to house the equipment they use in the profession.

“Right now they’re crammed into a regular-sized small classroom,” she said. “Our program has taken off and is doing really well.”

 Karas next led the way to space designed for the anatomy and physiology classes taken by most students in health programs. It includes a room for cadavers.

Currently, the college has to store the cadavers in a small closet and roll them through hallways to the areas where they are used for teaching purposes.  

“Other students don’t like to see that,” Karas said.

The new building has a dedicated cadaver room with adequate ventilation and lighting. Students may access the cadavers from two attached lab classrooms.

A study area provides a dedicated space for anatomy and physiology students to learn from slides and body parts that may disturb others.

On the far west end, the new building provides offices for faculty, a computer lab and the certified medical assistant program area. Several general use classrooms were built throughout the new building.

If the college needs more health and science space in the future, Karas said, the design includes two places on the west side of the building for easy and cost-effective expansion.

With the impending completion of the building, college officials have begun plans for renovating space that will be freed up in Ross Hall for other programs. The health building remains on schedule to be finished at the end of March.

 Karas described the spring break move into the building as a logistical challenge.

“But our goal is to make it seamless for the students and the faculty,” she said.

Karas added that the college had a great experience working with Swank and building designers CTA Associates Engineers.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.