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New Interdisciplinary Facility To Serve Researchers and Community

Utah State University and the College of Education and Human Services is opening a new facility to serve individuals with varying needs
USU CEHS

A 100,000-square-foot clinic is opening in Logan. The Sorenson Legacy Foundation Center for Clinical Excellence is designed to serve as many as 5,000 clients of varying abilities each year.

Beth Foley is Dean of Utah State University's College of Education and Human Services. Foley realized during the planning process that she wanted to do something unique, something special, as a way of introducing the public to the new center. She and organizers of the event have arranged for London street dancer and choreographer Chris Fonseca to perform at the opening.

"He is going to be doing some hip-hop dance classes Tuesday night. He happens to be deaf but he had a passion for dance and he became a professional dancer and choreographer and has a really inspiring story. It's a story of empowerment and drive and not letting limitations get in the way of your dreams," Foley said.

On Thursday Foley, Fonseca and a number of dignitaries, including Utah Lt. Governor Spencer Cox, will gather with the public to celebrate the grand opening. Sorensen Legacy Foundations President Joseph Sorenson and USU President Noelle Cockett will speak at the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, Thursday, May 3, 12:30 p.m.

Foley describes the new center as an interdisciplinary facility.

"The purpose of our new facility is to help people reach their full potential. So we do a lot of work with individuals who have a variety of disabilities and our focus is always on helping people maximize their talents and be fully included in the community," she said.  

The Center features specialized classrooms, an advanced nursing simulation lab, a hydrotherapy pool, a speech-language clinic, a memory clinic, early childhood education classrooms, a movement research clinic, a hearing and balance clinic and behavioral health services.

"It's set up for tele-intervention,” Foley explains. “So we can provide services to people in really remote and rural areas over the computer. There's really no place we can't provide some of these services. We even serve some children with Cochlear implants who live in France."

The public is invited to view the facility and attend a gala opening Thursday in Logan. The Sorenson Center is located at 1005 E. 850 North in Logan. To access, turn north off of U.S. Hwy. 89 (400 North) onto 1200 East, then turn west onto 850 North (between the tennis courts and Logan City Cemetery). Parking is available on the north and northwest side of the facility.

At 14-years-old, Kerry began working as a reporter for KVEL “The Hot One” in Vernal, Utah. Her radio news interests led her to Logan where she became news director for KBLQ while attending Utah State University. She graduated USU with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and spent the next few years working for Utah Public Radio. Leaving UPR in 1993 she spent the next 14 years as the full time mother of four boys before returning in 2007. Kerry and her husband Boyd reside in Nibley.