Saint Francis University Breaks Ground on New Health Wellness Institute
Saint Francis University broke ground on Friday, October 5, for the DiSepio Institute for Rural Health and Wellness. Construction of the $7-million facility will begin this fall and is scheduled for completion in 2009.
The DiSepio Institute will include an education and research center, a clinic and rehabilitation center, strength and conditioning center, cardio deck, classrooms and research facilities to support both students and regional communities.
“The center will enable Saint Francis University to serve the region and the nation. It will help to improve the quality of life in frequently underserved rural communities,” said Father Gabriel Zeis, president of Saint Francis University. “In addition to directly serving area residents, the DiSepio Institute will provide our health care students with practical experience and initiate them into service to the rural community.”
"The institute will also serve the entire commonwealth and the nation by enabling our Center of Excellence for Remote and Medically Underserved Areas (CERMUSA) to have on-site testing of new technology for delivery of health care to those in rural America." Zeis added.
Saint Francis will be able to train additional students in the health sciences as a result of this campus expansion. The university offers the doctor of physical therapy degree; master's degrees in physician assistant science, occupational therapy, and medical science; and undergraduate programs in exercise physiology, medical technology, nursing, pharmacy, pre-medicine and pre-optometry, along with the entry programs preparing for the physical therapy, physician assistant and occupational therapy graduate programs.
Principal donors for the facility are Joseph ‘58 and Marguerite ‘60 DiSepio. Additional funding was provided by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; First Commonwealth Financial of Indiana in memory of Mr. James Trimarchi, former chairman of the bank’s board of directors; the Tombros Foundation in recognition of Mr. and Mrs. H. Connell Lang, and Lee Initiatives, Inc.
Construction of the new facility will begin in the fall and is scheduled for completion in 2009. "The new DiSepio Institute will give students a state-of-the-art facility for learning and the unique opportunity to observe and assist in treating chronic illnesses that are more prevalent in rural medically-underserved areas," said Governor Rendell.
"This is a strategic investment by the commonwealth," adds Fr. Gabriel Zeis, president of Saint Francis. "It will help improve the quality of life in our rural communities, where there are so many people who are frequently underserved. While directly serving area residents, the DiSepio Institute also will provide our health care students with practical experience and initiate them into service to the rural community."
Intended as phase one of a larger science and wellness complex, the DiSepio Institute will include.
The state grant matches funds the university has received from Mr. and Mrs. Joseph and Marguerite DiSepio as well as other alumni donors. Private foundations and corporations have also contributed to the project, including First Commonwealth Bank in recognition of Mr. James Trimarchi, former chairman of the bank’s board of directors, the Tombros Foundation in recognition of Mr. and Mrs. H. Connell Lang, and Lee Initiatives, Inc.