TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — On Aug 1, Florida A&M University and the City of Crestview officially opened the FAMU Rural Diversity Healthcare Center in Crestview.
School officials say the major objective of the Crestview project is to produce high-quality graduates committed to serving the health care needs of citizens in the rural Florida Panhandle.
“This year, FAMU celebrates its 125th anniversary as an institution of higher learning,” said Interim President Larry Robinson. “I am convinced there is no better way to mark the occasion than by highlighting our commitment to ensure citizens of this region will have access to a high-quality education in the health professions.”
FAMU received $2.5 million from Public Education Capital Outlay funds in 2008 for the project titled “Rural Diversity Healthcare — Crestview” and was appropriated $7 million in 2010 to continue the FAMU Crestview Education Center project.
In addition to courses being taught at the center, lectures will be provided in real time through video conferencing between the FAMU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Tallahassee and the Crestview facility.
Faculty assigned to the Crestview facility will be able to establish relationships with major health-care systems and community pharmacies such as CVS, Walgreens and others, which will provide training for students.
The facility, located on the corner of Main Street and Woodruff Avenue in downtown Crestview, was transferred by the city of Crestview to FAMU in the summer of 2010.
Known as The Alatex Building, the facility opened in 1937 as a garment factory and was one of the major employers in Okaloosa County.
Florida A&M University’s (FAMU) College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is a leader in attracting millions of dollars for basic science and clinical research and competes nationally to attract industry and federal support for its many research and training endeavors.
FAMU has offered a degree in pharmacy since 1951, becoming a College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences in 1985. The college has expanded its operations from the main campus located in Tallahassee to campuses in Miami, Jacksonville and Tampa.
Photo courtesyof FAMU
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