A Neighborhood Welcome
TouroCOM-Middletown opens its doors to celebrate with the community
Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine (TouroCOM)-Middletown invited Middletown locals, families, and friends to its Community Open House this past Sunday, March 22. Residents of the city spent the day on campus touring the facilities, sitting in on medical school presentations, and meeting their new neighbors: the administration, faculty, medical students and staff. Dr. Kenneth J. Steier, founding dean of TouroCOM-Middletown, thanked the community for “a great turnout and tremendous support.”
“Many people here remember the Horton Hospital as the place where either their children were born or where their parents passed away,” said Mayor Joseph DeStefano, who attended the event. “We have great community memories of this place. The building was empty for so many years, and people really wanted to see what it’s become.”
TouroCOM-Middletown, which is housed in the former Horton Hospital building, opened its doors in July 2014 after having undergone a $25 million renovation to transform the deserted hospital space into a state-of-the-art medical school complete with 85 dorm rooms, high-tech laboratories, and a medical library. The project was awarded $1 million from the Mid-Hudson Regional Economic Development Council (MHREDC) and is anticipated to create 100 direct jobs and approximately 500 indirect jobs.
“The school is a symbol of Middletown’s rebirth,” said the mayor at the event.
James Rollins, a sous chef at the Heart and Soul Café on campus, agreed. “The medical school has brought the community together. It’s been a long time coming.”
