PCOM South Georgia plans celebration around groundbreaking

MOULTRIE — Individuals and organizations from across south Georgia will take part Thursday in a celebration that will mark the beginning of construction for Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine’s future campus in Moultrie, PCOM South Georgia.

A groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the facility’s planned home on 31 acres near the intersection of Tallokas Road and Veteran’s Parkway. The 75,000-square-foot building, with a construction and capital operating cost of close to $30 million, will house a four-year osteopathic medical program.

“We’re really thankful for the local support and the community support we’ve received to date,” PCOM President and CEO Dr. Jay Feldstein said. “With that ongoing support, we’re really excited about how successful this program can be, not only for the local community, but for the entire region of south Georgia.

“Collaboration is key to the success of PCOM’s regional endeavor.”

Architectural renderings of PCOM South Georgia were recently released by Sasaki Inc., the principal architectural firm for the building.

“What we want people to do when they come to this building is to realize the power of PCOM and the uniqueness of PCOM,” Bryan Irwin, an architect with Sasaki Inc., said. “That there’s no other institution out there like PCOM and there’s no other facility like this facility.”

PCOM officials said the light-filled institution will include features such as a group study porch, an anatomy lab, classrooms and a café.

“When you look at the life of an institution, there aren’t many times where you get an opportunity like this where you have a site that’s a beautiful blank slate. … It’s a great opportunity for us to create a building that expresses the value and the principles of PCOM, specifically, but also the larger opportunity to talk about what osteopathic medicine is all about and its more holistic view of the world,” Irwin said.

Participants in the groundbreaking event, PCOM officials said, will highlight the collaborative nature of the project. Natalie Shell, a music student from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, will sing the national anthem. Laura Calhoun, executive director of the Southwest Georgia Area Health Education Center headquartered in Albany, coordinated an essay contest in conjunction with the groundbreaking — the winners of which will be recognized Thursday.

JB Crumbs, a Thomasville caterer, will prepare refreshments, and Nanci Scheetz, a faculty member at Valdosta State University, will provide sign language interpretation. The Colquitt County High School Marine Corps JROTC from Moultrie will present colors.

Scheduled speakers at the ceremony include Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle and former state Rep. Amy Carter of Valdosta. Carter, the recently appointed Georgia deputy commissioner for rural development, will speak about health education as an integral aspect of rural prosperity.

PCOM South Georgia is a private, not-for-profit four-year additional location of PCOM. PCOM South Georgia is being developed to help meet the health care needs of the south Georgia region. The school has received initial accreditation from the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. With a planned opening date of August 2019, PCOM South Georgia will offer the doctor of osteopathic medicine degree to 55 initial medical students.

For more information about the groundbreaking event or the campus, visit www.pcom.edu/southga or call (678) 225-7500. PCOM will also host an information session for prospective students on Thursday at 4 p.m. at ABAC.