Marywood plans expansion for health care programs

Sarah Hofius Hall, The Times-Tribune, Scranton, Pa.
Updated ·2 min read

Jan. 31—Marywood University plans to expand classroom and laboratory space for some of the school's most in-demand programs.

Leaders hope to start construction this spring on an addition to the Health Sciences Pavilion at the Keith J. O'Neill Center for Healthy Families, which will house nursing, physician assistant and respiratory therapy programs.

"It just really made sense to bring it all under one roof," said Wendy Yankelitis, the university's vice president of operations.

Lackawanna County commissioners plan to vote Wednesday on authorizing $15 million in bonds through the Scranton-Lackawanna Health and Welfare Authority. The authority, which held a public hearing on the borrowing earlier this month, often assists in financing building projects for area colleges. Marywood will be responsible for the debt.

The 15,000-square-foot addition to the O'Neill Center will include large-tiered classrooms, labs and learning spaces, according to paperwork submitted to the authority. The building should be ready to use for the fall 2024 semester.

Depending on project costs, the university hopes to apply excess funds to projects in the Shields Center for Visual Arts, which houses the architecture program, or the Michael and Dolores Insalaco Center for Studio Arts, which houses the growing graphic arts and art therapy programs, according to the paperwork.

The nursing and physician assistant program are among two of the most popular majors at Marywood, and more students became interested in the respiratory therapy program due to COVID-19, said Marywood President Sister Mary Persico, I.H.M., Ed.D. Students in the dietetics and nutrition and exercise science programs also have classes in the O'Neill Center.

Students in the nursing and physician assistant programs attend classes now in different buildings, and soon they will be able to share labs and work together as future health care professionals.

"We want to create that real world environment on campus," Yankelitis said.

Contact the writer: shofius@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9133; @hofiushallTT on Twitter.