Pritzker releases $35.8M for South Suburban College health facility

SOUTH HOLLAND - I.

The project includes planning and design for an approximately 130,000 square foot, four-story facility as part of a teaching facility to train students for health care careers. Projected cost for the project is approximately $70 million, with nearly $17 million in state funding already released and the remaining funding coming from local sources.

"This capital addition will provide state-of-the art teaching and lab facilities that will allow us to both expand and enhance our current health care programs, as well as bring new exciting curriculum to our students to prepare them for highly skilled, in-demand jobs," said Frank M. Zuccarelli, chairman of the SSC board of trustees. "Our Southland community deserves the opportunities that this facility will provide to them."

The state funds were included in the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan.

The facility will provide training for health care careers such as registered nurses and nursing assistants, community health workers, emergency medical technicians, radiologists, echocardiography technicians, occupational therapy assistants, phlebotomists, pharmacy technicians, medical assistants, and medical records and coding specialists. The facility will also provide space for new career programs including dental hygiene, respiratory technician, physical therapy assistant, and patient care technician, in addition to a community health center and child care center.

An average of 24 percent of South Suburban Community College students choosing career paths in nursing and allied health professions, according to the college.