KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Construction for the Roane State and Tennessee College of Applied Technology's (TCAT) new health science education center will begin later this summer, according to a press release from the community college.
The Knox Regional Health Science Education Center will be located on the Covenant Health Campus on Sherrill Boulevard in Knoxville. It's replacing Roane State's current Knox County Center for Health Sciences on Hayfield Road.
Roane State's nursing, EMS, polysomnography and respiratory therapy programs will be housed in the new center. The college also plans to add new programs like cardiovascular technology, healthcare administration and public health.
TCAT Knoxville's health science programs will also be offered in the center.
For students, the center will have a 10,000-square-foot simulation center, which will help students train for real-life scenarios. The simulation center will include an emergency department, ambulance bay and electronic medical record workstation as well as operating, ICU, medication and decontamination rooms.
Gov. Bill Lee's 2022-2023 budget included $67 million in funding for the center. The total estimated amount for the project is $75 million, which includes previous funding of $1 million appropriated during the fiscal year 2021-2022 for the preliminary design phase.