The Center for Health Outcome Policy Research will be housed in Eastman Hall once the building reopens.
CentraCare employees and St. Cloud State faculty and student researchers will work together to develop practical solutions to health challenges in Central Minnesota.
The center will allow St. Cloud State researchers access to new applied research areas and be more innovative as they work with CentraCare employees at the speed of business.
“CHOPR will promote collaboration between CentraCare Health and St. Cloud State faculty in the School of Health and Human Services and the School of Public Affairs by designing and evaluating research protocols,” said St. Cloud State President Robbyn Wacker. “Our classrooms will be extended into the hospitals and clinics across the health system to utilize best educational practices and high-quality research.”
The center is believed to be the first research center in a public university that doesn’t have a medical school affiliated with it. It is expected to begin work on research projects right away in January and will be housed in the Center for Health and Wellness Innovation in Eastman Hall once it reopens.
The seed for the center was planted almost two years ago at Spring Convocation 2017. CentraCare Health President and CEO Dr. Kenneth Holmen spoke at the event and afterward he and Dean King Banaian wrote a draft of what would become the center.
“We believe the work of the center will inform public debate about health care costs and outcomes and will help shape public policy by making solid, rigorous, research-based evidence accessible to health policy stakeholders,” Holmen said. “Another big advantage of opening this center is that it will also serve as a training ground for new leaders in health services and public health research and policy.
CentraCare provides care through hospitals and clinics throughout Central Minnesota. Its St. Cloud Hospital is a Magnet-designated hospital that earns national recognition for its quality measures.
