Grand Opening Is May 1 for COD’s New Barker Nursing Complex
College of the Desert (COD) will hold a grand opening dedication ceremony for the new Barker Foundation Nursing Complex on the COD Campus on Friday, May 1, at 9 a.m. The public is invited.
Nursing students, faculty and staff will gather, along with area healthcare professionals and administrators, to celebrate the newly constructed complex which opened in January. They’ll be joined by numerous civic and social leaders, volunteers and supporters.
The Coeta and Donald Barker Foundation endowed the PSA with a $2 million gift and obtained naming rights to the facility. The dedication marks the completion of construction of the primary phase; the adjacent original nursing building, built in 1962, is empty and scheduled for renovation. All classrooms and offices have been moved into the larger new space, a pair of buildings connected by a breezeway and configured in an L-shape, with a total of 14,280 square feet. There is a large outdoor courtyard and shaded area on the east side of the structure. The project cost$7.9 million, paid for by Measure B bond funds.
The Barker Nursing Complex is home to the Division of Health Sciencesand educates and trains students to become Registered Nurses, Vocational Nurses, Nursing Assistants, and Emergency Medical Technicians.
The ceremony will open with the Palm Desert High School Percussion Ensemble, followed by a welcome by Director of Nursing Cindy Hay, and brief remarks from COD President Jerry Patton, COD Foundation Executive Director Ralph Plumb, Nancy Harris of the Barker Foundation, COD Dean Health Sciences and Early Childhood Education Leslie Young, and Ken Salyer, HMC Architects.
Built with the environment in mind, the Barker Complex has a LEED rating of Silver and opened for classes on Jan. 26.