The expansion of the COCC Madras Campus will be opening soon and I got a sneak peek. Part of the building is already in use, the Early Childhood Education Center. The space is currently being used by the tiny people, aged 5 weeks through pre-school. I was able to speak to the manager as she gave me a tour and told me about the space and how they use it. There is a cafeteria kitchen that allows the children to eat healthy meals while teaching them real life skills, meals are served family style all at a table built for them. There are cots in the pre-school classroom for nap time. The beauty of being able to build the space just for children made it possible for the classrooms to have bathroom stalls and toilets for the vertically challenged preschoolers. The sinks are trough style also built low to the ground to avoid needing a stool or steps. In the infant and toddler space there are cribs, infant seats, and playmats for the smallest of people. In between these classrooms are viewing areas behind a two-way mirror. This allows our college students an opportunity to learn about children in the space they are comfortable in and learn on the job without interfering.
The upstairs is dedicated to the sciences. The best part of this project is that it is built to have the instruction via weblink from a classroom in Bend while being able to complete the lab in Madras. This solves a big problem for the people in Jefferson County, and the natives in Warm Springs. Being able to complete degrees like nursing, medical assistant, and nursing assistant in the community they live in makes further education possible for many more students. Projected to be open in May, the classes are already filled, and they all have wait lists as well.
Everything is state of the art and built with the student in mind just like the daycare downstairs. The Anatomy labs have all the models of every system just like you would find on the Bend Campus. The chemistry lab has been installed with all the ventilation needed to complete experiments safely. The microbiology lab has the latest in measuring equipment, microscopes, and refrigeration needed for the sciences.
On the medical side they designed the space with students in mind also. There are multiple rooms that were built to simulate the real world to allow students to learn in the same environment they will be working in. The exam rooms are exact replicas of what you would see in most doctors’ offices right down to the supplies found within. The hospital side has open bedrooms like in preop or in an ER environment. All the beds work, 02 on the wall, equipment to monitor and even the patient to practice on. This was one of the coolest parts of the Madras campus. There are mannequins that are controlled remotely behind a two-way mirror. They bleed, talk, move, breath, and even have a heartbeat. This allows an instructor to react in real time while the student treats the patient.
This campus in Madras is state of the art and in a community that desperately needed some more education options nearby. It was a great experience to get a sneak peak into how, to see how much love went into this expansion for COCC and of course the community.
