Medical Center renovated

Recent renovations to the UT pharmacy allow for more appeal, according to Bill Logie, vice president for human resources and campus safety.

In the past few months, UT has made renovations to its Main Campus Medical Center that include a new employee clinic and an updated pharmacy.

The new employee clinic, which opened Jan. 5, aims to offer UT staff affordable, “university-quality” healthcare, Logie said.

“It’s just as professional as anywhere else,” he said.

Pharmaceutical drugs are often more affordable when purchased in bulk, the way UT now purchases them.  According to Logie, this technique is “better for the patient and better for the university” because it lowers the overall price of the pharmaceutical drugs for UT.  In turn, bulk purchasing allows the university to lower prices for the students and staff using the pharmacy.

The renovation cost approximately $200,000 and was funded with capital dollars, according to Logie.

“We didn’t write blank checks,” Logie said, adding the cost of the renovations will pay for themselves through time.

A new feature to the pharmacy will be a kiosk, which functions like the drive-thru of a bank, for a quicker alternative to getting drugs from the pharmacy without getting out of the car. The date of completion for the kiosk is undetermined, Logie said.

The need for change to the Medical Center was evident, according to Logie and other Medical Center staff members.

“The pharmacy was very small and not private,” Logie said. “It was just crummy.”

Some UT students also found the previous conditions of the facility cramped and inadequate.

“I felt very confined when I went there; it didn’t have the feel of a medical facility,” said Aaron Gassner, a freshman majoring in criminal justice who uses the Medical Center for allergy shots.

The renovations began three months ago and are scheduled to be completed this week. Feelings of discomfort for UT students and staff may diminish after the renovations are completed, Logie said.

“Access, cleanliness, space, appeal ... just walking in, you feel like you’re not in a small office,” Logie said, adding that he is satisfied with the changes made to the facility. 

Alex Newkirk, a sophomore majoring in nursing, said he also likes the changes. 

“I haven’t used it yet, but I’ve checked it out and I’m impressed with the renovations that were made,” Newkirk said. “It’s very spacious and professional.”

The pharmacy is open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a week, including holidays.  The employee clinic is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Be the first to comment on this article!

Add comment


I am not posting spam. I understand posting spam or other comments that are unrelated to this article will cause my comment to be flagged for deletion and possibly cause my IP address to be permanently banned from this server.

Enter the characters in the image above:

log out