Princeton University’s new health center will now be called the Frist Health Center following an undisclosed amount of money gifted by Dr. Thomas Frist Jr.
The university described it as a major gift from Frist, who is chair emeritus of the Frist Foundation and co-founder of Hospital Corporation of America (HCA Healthcare), which one of the largest healthcare providers in the country.
The four-story Frist Health Center is still currently under construction and expected to open in 2025. The center will consist of more than 76,000 square feet, which amounts to a 41,282 square foot increase in comparison to the McCosh Health Center.
“This extraordinary gift from Tommy Frist has enabled us to reimagine the University health facility as a place of welcome that offers a comprehensive approach to student health and well-being,” President Christopher Eisgruber said.
“I am delighted that the Frist family’s legacy in healthcare innovation will now be reflected in the spectacular Frist Health Center. The University is deeply grateful to Tommy and the Frist family for their visionary partnership on this project and, when considered along with the Frist Campus Center, for their incalculable and enduring impact on our campus community.”
Frist made the gift to the university’s Venture Forward campaign.
Set to be two times larger than the McCosh Health Center, which currently houses University Health Services, the new center location is at the intersection of Goheen Walk and Guyot Lane.
“Our primary goal in making this gift is to make the Princeton family healthier in mind, body and spirit,” Frist said.
“In doing that, I hope the Frist Health Center will be a stimulus for others to emulate as time goes on, creating a multiplier effect at various institutions throughout the world.”
Frist noted that HCA takes care of millions of people each year, and said he thinks this gift is an extension of that mission.
“A real opportunity for us to work with Princeton and make a great university even better,” he added.
The Frist Health Center is being constructed on the current site of Eno Hall and will incorporate a renovated Eno Hall with a significant new addition to the south.
The center will support an undergraduate student population that continues to increase.
Princeton University expects an additional 500 undergraduate students over four years as the university grows its undergraduate student population in the coming years.
University Architect Ron McCoy added, “Adapting Eno Hall will preserve the architectural heritage of the University, and the Frist Health Center’s convenient location near other centers of student life, combined with its warm and inviting features, will provide University Health Services with new opportunities for cross-programming and campus collaboration.”
The center is going to include medical services ranging from outpatient medical to athletic medicine to global and community health to occupational health, and an overnight infirmary service.
Additionally, health promotion and prevention services, also counseling and psychological services, sexual harassment and assault advising, and resources and education (SHARE) office.
The center is one of the many projects and initiatives the university has had underway for Central campus.
