Loyola to formally bless and dedicate new Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing building on Sept. 29

Loyola University Chicago will formally bless and dedicate the new Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing building at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29. This event will take place on the Health Sciences Campus located at 2160 S. First Ave. in Maywood. Tours of the facility will follow the blessing and dedication.

"This new building demonstrates Loyola's long-standing commitment to Catholic health-care education and research," said Father Michael J. Garanzini, SJ, president and CEO, Loyola University Chicago. "This state-of-the-art facility will foster collaborative, interdisciplinary care, which will have a transformative impact on our students and the patients they serve."

The 58,222-square-foot building houses a 165-seat lecture hall, classrooms, group study rooms, conference rooms, faculty offices, a light-filled atrium and a café. This space features the Galante Information Commons, an integrated learning environment with an electronic health sciences library. The building also includes the new Walgreen Family Virtual Hospital, which has six high fidelity clinical simulation labs and a home-care environment where nursing, medical and allied health students can learn and work together to better care for patients.

"This is an exciting time," said Vicki A. Keough, PhD, RN-BC, ACNP, dean, Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing. "This facility fosters a cohesive environment where students from various disciplines learn together. This will allow us to improve health, advance science and ensure excellence in patient care in the future."

The building is connected to the Stritch School of Medicine Cuneo Center, which now features a new task simulation, education and advanced procedures performance assessment center. Students from various disciplines work together here to replicate patient-care scenarios. This allows students to hone their technical, communication, critical-thinking and decision-making skills under the supervision of experienced professionals.

"The clinical simulation center allows students to apply the knowledge they gain in the traditional classroom setting with risk-free care," said Richard L. Gamelli, MD, FACS, senior vice president and provost, Health Sciences Division. "This educational approach distinguishes our graduates from others in the marketplace because it more effectively prepares them for authentic patient-care challenges.