University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (UCHSC) is part of the University of Colorado System. It was recently merged with the University of Colorado at Denver (UCD) to form the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, which has since been renamed the University of Colorado Denver.

The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (UCHSC) has two campuses, the campus at Ninth Avenue and Colorado Boulevard in Denver which has largely been vacated and no longer houses medical students' classes, and a newer campus in neighboring Aurora. The former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center in northwest Aurora is being transformed into a convert|217|acre|km2|1|sing=on campus for the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (UCHSC) and the University of Colorado Hospital. The Health Sciences Center will include administrative and teaching functions, as well as clinical and research programs. The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center is one of the top academic medical centers in the United States and will be the heart of an active complex of laboratories, clinics, hospitals, classrooms and offices.

The convert|578|acre|km2|1|sing=on former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center is undergoing a $4.3-billion renovation and transformation into the largest medical-related redevelopment project in the United States. The University of Colorado Health Sciences Center (UCHSC) and the University of Colorado Hospital are relocating their entire operations to the Fitzsimons campus. The convert|160|acre|km2|1|sing=on Colorado Bioscience Park Aurora is being developed directly adjacent to the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center campus. The remaining acres of the former military facility are dedicated to commercial, hospitality, retail and residential development.

History

In 1995, Fitzsimons Army Base was officially put on the Base Realignment and Closure list. Officials from Health Sciences Center, University of Colorado Hospital and the City of Aurora presented an innovative proposal to the Department of Defense in Washington, D.C. The proposal emphasized the benefits of reusing the decommissioned base to build — from the ground up — a world-class, academic health center, including state-of-the-art healthcare facilities. In addition, the campus will be directly adjacent to the Colorado Bioscience Park Aurora, providing opportunities to take University research discoveries into the stream of commerce at an accelerated rate, through affiliation with the biotech companies located in the convert|160|acre|km2|1|sing=on research park. With unprecedented support from the city of Aurora, the state of Colorado and federal entities, the Fitzsimons master plan calls for up to convert|15000000|sqft|m2 of new construction. At build out, more than 32,000 people will be employed at Fitzsimons. The city of Aurora has created an urban renewal zone to the west and south of Fitzsimons to catalyze new, off-campus redevelopment.

External links

* [http://www.uchsc.edu/ UCHSC home page]
* [http://www.auroraedc.com/fitzsimons.htm Aurora Economic Development Council-Fitzsimons]
* [http://www.uchsc.edu/fitzsimons/ The Fitzsimons Campus]