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FLCC opens Sands Family Center for Allied Health 

Finger Lakes Community College celebrated on Thursday the opening of the $7.2 million Sands Family Center for Allied Health, a renovation and expansion of its nursing wing on the main campus. 

Caption: FLCC nursing exterior Photo by Tim Wilkes The Sands Family Center for Allied Health is an expansion and renovation of the Finger Lakes Community College nursing education wing.
The Sands Family Center for Allied Health is an expansion and renovation of the Finger Lakes Community College nursing education wing. (Photo credit: Tim Wilkes)

With the expansion, the college will accept new students in both the fall and spring semesters.  The application for the spring 2023 semester is currently open through Oct. 15. FLCC will also launch a licensed practical nursing program, starting in fall 2023. 

“The Sands Family Center for Allied Health reflects a true team effort among the Sands Family Foundation, Thompson Health, Ontario County and the college,” said FLCC President Robert Nye. “We were united in our mission to fill a critical community need for nurses at our hospitals, medical offices and skilled nursing facilities.” 

Richard Sands, representing the Sands Family Foundation, joined college and community leaders for the ceremonial ribbon cutting. The Sands Family Foundation contributed $3 million to the project. 

“As important as today’s ribbon-cutting is, I am already thinking about the impact this center will have on our community,” Sands said. “Five years from now, hundreds of students will have passed through these halls and taken their places in our medical facilities where their compassion and skills are so needed.” 

In addition to the Sands Family Foundation donation, the FLCC Student Corp. contributed $250,000; the FLCC Association, $200,000 and the FLCC Foundation, $200,000. New York State provided $3.6 million in matching funds to all the private contributions. Thompson Health will contribute an instructor for the licensed practical nursing program.

The Sands Family Center for Allied Health features murals of nature images taken by Sophie Parshall, president of the FLCC Student Corporation.
The Sands Family Center for Allied Health features murals of nature images taken by Sophie Parshall, president of the FLCC Student Corp. (Photo credit: Tim Wilkes)

The project began with a renovation of existing space to add enhanced simulation labs. The expansion added an additional simulation lab and more patient bays to serve an increasing student population. 

The new facilities complement a revised curriculum that focuses on clinical judgment and critical thinking, college officials said.  

After the work began, the college received a $1.5 million state workforce development grant to add an additional science lab by mid-2023.

Ontario County, the local government sponsor of FLCC, hired PLAN Architectural Studio of Rochester to provide architectural and engineering services and LeChase Construction Services of Rochester to provide construction management. The county awarded the general contracting bid to G.M. Crisalli & Associates of Syracuse, the electrical bid to Connors-Haas of Ontario and the plumbing bid to Postler & Jaeckle Corp of Rochester. 

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