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A large crowd gathered Wednesday morning to attend the groundbreaking of the Valley’s newest Medical School. California Health Sciences University (CHSU) has officially begun the process of constructing a new College of Osteopathic Medicine. This facility will be the first of many projects to come on this 70-acre site located near the 168 freeway and the Clovis Community Medical Center. Well over 100 attended the groundbreaking, including City of Clovis representatives, CHSU Staff and Board of Trustees Members, Representatives from the Fresno County Economic Development Corporation, Clovis Veteran’s Memorial District, the Clovis Chamber of Commerce, Involved members of the A/E/C Industry, Valley public Radio, ABC30 Action News, The Business Journal, and many more.

The CHSU College of Pharmacy Program opened in 2014 and will graduate its first class of Doctor of pharmacy students later this month. The college or Pharmacy program is currently located in Clovis California near the corner of Clovis and Herndon Avenue. This new College of Osteopathic Medicine will open in 2020 and will be the first of its kind in the San Joaquin valley, once the accreditation process has successfully been completed.

California State University, Fresno President Emeritus and California Health Sciences Board of Trustees Chair Dr. John Welty Spoke about the project saying “Today is a great day, an historic day, as we launch this effort. Young people can now look to the opportunities at the Pharmacy School and the Medical School Right here. This project will change Central California forever.” He praised the Assemi and Dunn Families for their hard work and commitment to this project. Florence Dunn and two of the Assemi Brothers, Farid and Darius Spoke. They Praised the City of Clovis for supporting the project. “The City has believed in us since day one” Farid exclaimed. He continued proudly, “I’m happy to report we have candidacy for accreditation for the College of Osteopathic Medicine.” It was a stirring collection of speakers and the crowd was keenly attentive.

Darden Architects supported Architectural firm Dekker/Perich/Sabatini of Albuquerque NM to develop the Schematic Design. DPS is an expert in design for medical schools and has brought an outstanding product to our valley. The 92,000 square foot building will include large team-based learning spaces, a commercial kitchen, a simulation center, anatomy and virtual anatomy labs, student gathering and study spaces, student lounge and library, osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) laboratories, graduate medical education (GME) offices for placing students in residencies, administrative offices, and the Dean’s suite. The building design features classical lines and material choices, and includes a central courtyard for student gathering, study, and outdoor learning.

The leaders of the project and key community representatives took their places to turn the earth while cameras snapped photos. It was a very special moment for our community and we are proud to have a part in this amazing project.

For more information on this project and the groundbreaking event check out the online news coverage:

CHSU Breaks Ground on Clovis Medical School Article by Gabriel Dillard of the Business Journal

California Health Sciences University breaks ground on future Clovis campus Article by Amanda Venegas of ABC30 Action News

With Clovis Groundbreaking, Proposed Medical School One Step Closer to Reality Article by Kerry Klein of Valley Public Radio

And be sure to visit the website of our associate firm Dekker/Perich/Sabatini

Special thanks to California Health Sciences University

For more photos from the event, check our FaceBook Post.