The Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities Dedicates New Building
November 30, 2010
On a sunny and radiant October 22, 2010 the new building was officially opened with a festive ribbon cutting ceremony and reception. Opening remarks were made by Dr. William Roper, Chief Executive Officer of the University of North Carolina Health Care System, Dean of the UNC School of Medicine, and Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs and by Dr. Joe Piven, Carolina Institute Director. Visitors, families, and supporters joined in on the celebration and tours of the new space were given.
The Carolina Institute is proud of its new building on a campus dedicated to providing cutting-edge services, research, and training to benefit individuals with developmental disabilities and their families. This new building provides space specifically designed for optimal patient care. Each of the nine clinic rooms has an observation room for family members to participate and observe evaluations. The family break room provides needed support during day long evaluations and the community location provides easy access and parking.
The space is also specifically designed for the interface of multiple disciplines - genetics, neurology, pediatrics, psychiatry, psychology, speech-language pathology, audiology, occupational and physical therapy, nursing, nutrition, education and social work - all under one roof, to enable the integration of complex areas of expertise required for optimal care of individuals with developmental disabilities throughout the lifespan.
It is a state-of-the-art facility for clinical research, including data collection for numerous federally funded clinical research studies. The new clinic rooms include equipment for monitoring all aspects of behavior (e.g., video cameras, measurement of brain electrophysiology, eye tracking).
The new space will also enhance the clinical training of future service providers in a range of clinical services and education, as well as policy makers, to expand the capacity of the state of N.C. to provide the highest quality of life to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.