A recent hard hat tour of Guzman Hall by Mid Hudson Construction Management brought local leaders to the Mount.
Desmond Center renovations and programs moving quickly
As the Desmond Center for Community Engagement and Wellness launched its inaugural programs this spring, construction crews arrived on campus to begin the dramatic transformation of Guzman Hall into the center’s new home.
Funded in part by grants from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation and New York State’s Higher Education Capital (HECap) program, the Desmond Center will provide accessible and equitable educational, health, and wellness services for community members and families in the local area, including the uninsured, while also creating learning opportunities for Mount students.
Mid Hudson Construction Management is renovating the first two floors of Guzman Hall to help support the Desmond Center’s mission. The finished space will include a two-story glass atrium, exam rooms for patients, and offices for healthcare staff and students. The former Founders Chapel will become a multipurpose room with expansive windows, providing views of campus and the Hudson River. Stained glass from the chapel will be incorporated into the new design to preserve the character of the former structure. Once completed, the college expects the center to serve more than 4,000 residents per year.
Although construction is expected to continue through December 2022, Desmond Center programming is already underway, spearheaded by Genesis Ramos, executive director of the center.
Several notable alumni toured the construction site: Torrance Harvey MSEd ’03, mayor of Newburgh; Genesis Ramos, executive director of the Desmond Center for Community Engagement and Wellness; Inaudy Esposito, executive director of the Orange County Human Rights Commission; Ashley Collazo, program coordinator for the Desmond Center; Giselle Martinez ’20, Newburgh councilwoman; and Anthony Grice MSEd ’07, Newburgh councilman.
“To date, the overall reception has been overwhelmingly positive,” Ramos stated. “For events held at MSMC, it was most attendees’ first time ever visiting campus! Our aim has been and continues to be to create wellness experiences not readily found in the community of Newburgh. We want to identify and fill in the gaps and offer education and holistic wellness experiences that community members may not otherwise have access to.”
Throughout the Spring semester, the Desmond Center hosted several events for the community, including a COVID-19 vaccine and booster clinic, a Family Literacy Night in collaboration with the Mount’s Division of Education, the School of Nursing, and the School of Business at the Newburgh Armory Unity Center, and online health equity talks discussing healthcare disparities faced by women of color.
Most notably, the center also held their first Health and Wellness Week, which invited community members onto campus and allowed them to sample more than 10 different health providers in the area, ranging from mental health workshops to yoga and Pilates classes and nutrition education.
Ramos added, “Over 65 community residents attended and we were repeatedly asked, ‘When is this happening again?’ This kind of feedback lets us know we’re on the right path.”
Throughout the summer, the Desmond Center has also begun offering free classes to the Newburgh community both on and off campus, including Zumba, Yoga, Pound, and Xtreme Step.
Currently, the Desmond Center’s work is centered around the provision of health and wellness services. As a result, they have planned several programs, trainings, and events for the coming months.
Some of this includes a 10-12 week smoking cessation program involving behavior and habit modification, a 10-12 week program designed for young women of color centered around self-esteem and empowerment, service provider training on mental health topics, and various tabling events to both raise awareness about the center and offer basic health education to community residents on health topics that are most relevant to the City of Newburgh.
While currently functioning as a startup, much of the Desmond Center’s work is not only designing and executing programming, but establishing systems as well. This includes getting the word out that the center exists through community outreach.
"...the overall reception has been overwhelmingly positive. For events held at MSMC, it was most attendees' first time ever visiting campus!"
“We are simultaneously building the train as we are operating it, and it has been both exhilarating and challenging,” Ramos explained. “We are out in the community regularly speaking with community members and at trusted local organizations, establishing and strengthening partnerships.”
She added, “Once the building is operating, our hope is that we are a household name here in Newburgh, and that, ultimately, we are seen as a reliable, responsive, and trusted resource and innovation hub for our community.”
The center will also provide excellent opportunities for Mount students to gain hands-on experience while serving the greater Newburgh community and beyond. As the programs continue to expand, the opportunities for students and faculty to get involved will multiply.
“With the center on campus, the services and programming provided will be culturally sensitive, inclusive, and responsive to the diverse needs of our surrounding community,” Ramos said.
The renovation of Guzman Hall is on schedule, with the Mount planning to open the Desmond Center’s doors in December 2022 or January 2023. With its completion, the Mount will be a step closer to realizing President Jason Adsit’s aspirational goal of becoming the most service-oriented college in the nation.