University of New Brunswick Saint John campus to get $38M health centre – New Brunswick

A new health center on the University of New Brunswick’s Saint John campus is set to play a significant role in addressing the province’s health crisis.

As announced on Monday, the Health and Social Innovation Center will become a hub for research and innovation in healthcare.

“It will attract private sector investment, create jobs and contribute to our economic growth,” Prime Minister Blaine Higgs told a crowd at a UNB Saint John library.

The $38 million project includes $12 million from the provincial government, $15.2 million from the federal government and $10.8 million from the university.

Higgs said the new center will also open the door to a new four-year interdisciplinary undergraduate program in health.

Higgs estimates that 500 new students will be enrolled in the new program within five years.

The vacant Ward Chipman Library on the Saint John campus will be demolished to make way for the center. According to a press release, the new building will be nearly 6,000 square feet and three and a half stories tall.

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“(It will) provide access to quality healthcare education. It will help strengthen the province’s health care system and research capabilities well into the future,” said Dominic LeBlanc, Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities.

dr Petra Hauf, vice president of the University of New Brunswick, Saint John campus, said the announcement enables the university to launch the Integrated Health Initiative, “an initiative focused on health and systemic change within our healthcare system. It provides education for a new generation of health professionals who will be able to think outside the box, be creative but also be flexible and adaptable,” she noted.

Hauf pointed out that research clusters will also be in focus.

“Research on aging in society, for example on digital transformation in healthcare, on management in healthcare.”

Hauf explained that rising prices had pushed up construction costs. While the funding announced Monday covers initial costs, she said they have launched a campaign to find donors for additional financial support.

The university hopes to start demolishing the former library in the spring and open the doors of the center by September 2024.

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