HCC Dale Mabry Opens Health Facility With Simulated Hospital

CARROLLWOOD, FL — More than 250 community leaders and supporters were on hand at Hillsborough Community College's Dale Mabry Campus to celebrate the opening of its new state-of-the-art Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel Allied Health Building.

The official ribbon-cutting ceremony took place Sept. 20.

The four-story, 62,670-square-foot building includes a simulated hospital allowing multiple health science programs to work together, creating conditions found in real-life situations.

The Allied Health Building houses facilities for the emergency medical services, medical laboratory science, nursing and respiratory care programs. The facility will provide space for classroom instruction and hands-on learning using the latest technological advances employed by the health sciences fields.

The building was constructed with the help of a $1 million donation from Drs. Kiran C. and Pallavi Patel. This is the largest cash gift from an individual in the college’s 50-year history.

“HCC is unique in filling the gap between high school and the university,” said Dr. Kiran Patel. “It is a means for many people that are working and trying to obtain an education. HCC has a niche of filling the requirement of such a vast community who for a variety of reasons would have been left behind and unable to access a university education right away.”

Dr. Ken Atwater, HCC president, announced the gift at kick-off ceremonies for HCC's 50th anniversary celebration in September 2018.

“The HCC community is humbled and grateful for the generous support and commitment of Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel who are extremely passionate about the transformational impact of education on the well-being of people,” said Atwater.

The Allied Health Building will help prepare health care professionals for the workforce and allow the college to continue its mission as the largest training provider for the community’s first responders.

Over the next 10 years, health-related jobs in the Tampa Bay region are projected to grow by more than 50,000, with some job fields expected to grow by as much as 40 percent, with many of these jobs providing an average salary of $40,000 per year.