Saturday, April 5, 2025
4/5/2025
Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending - Construction - Organization Name: Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) Address: One University Plaza, Cape Girardeau, MO 63701 Project Director: Christopher Ralph Martin Contact Phone Number: 573-651-2322 Email Address: cmartin@semo.edu Website Address: https://semo.edu/index.html Total CPF/CDS Funding Request = $10,000,000 Project Description: Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) proposes to construct a 3-story, 54,608-sf health science building on an existing site, owned by the University, on its main campus in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The existing site currently includes Dearmont Dormitory (Dearmont). Dearmont is off-line and no longer utilized by the University. Dearmont will be demolished to make way for the Health Science Building. The building will include classrooms, laboratories, gymnasium, offices, and meeting venues to support STEM, health, life, and allied health sciences research and academic programs. The expected project completion date is May 31, 2026. Needs to be Addressed: Missouri is suffering from a shortage of healthcare workers. A May 11, 2022, KZRG news story, states that 109 of Missouri’s 114 counties have insufficient health care workers. A June 14, 2021 study by the University of Missouri says “Out of the 114 total counties in Missouri, 97 are designated as health care professional shortage areas.” Data from the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC) shows the healthcare industry in Missouri saw a significant negative employment change from 2019 to 2020. Additionally, healthcare is listed as one of the most in-demand occupations. Specific to southeast Missouri, the home of SEMO, MERIC’s 2021 Economic Report for the Southeast Region projects ambulatory health care services and hospitals to be two of the top four growth industries between 2018-2028, calculating a need for nearly 2,200 more healthcare related workers over the next several years. The new Health Science Building will help the University support workforce development and training for STEM, health and life sciences, and allied health professionals. The building will ensure students learn in modern environments, and provide adequate facilities to expand the University's healthcare and allied health offerings in the years ahead. Proposed Services: SEMO's Health Science Building will include classrooms, laboratories, gymnasium, offices, and meeting venues to support STEM, health, life, and allied health sciences research and academic programs. The building will provide clinical and other experiential learning space, and industry collaboration and meeting venues to build and sustain the health care workforce. Population Group(s) to be Served: SEMO is in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, which is in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, a metropolitan statistical area that includes a mix of urban and rural areas. It is in Missouri’s 8th Congressional District, which includes 30 counties in rural southeast Missouri and south-central Missouri, as well as some counties in southwest Missouri. The population groups to be served by the project include but may not be limited to: (1) students attending SEMO seeking to pursue a career in a STEM, health and life sciences, or allied health field; (2) practicing professionals seeking continuing education and professional development or opportunities to engage with faculty or students in academic and/or research endeavors; and (3) members of the community that will benefit from a trained healthcare workforce.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).