What better place to train nursing students than in a former hospital?

Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) officials have entered into a 10-year agreement with the state of Iowa to lease 20,000 square feet of space in the vacant building that once housed Mercy Capitol hospital DMACC plans to use the space to house its health sciences programs for the Urban campus, freeing up space for other programs.

DMACC President Rob Denson made the announcement during a press conference this afternoon in the lobby of the former hospital at 603 E. 12th St., which is now known as the Iowa Building.

The DMACC Health Sciences – Capitol Complex will accommodate more than 100 health science students from both the Urban and Ankeny campus. DMACC plans to complete minor renovations to the space on the third and fourth floors, which had been used by Mercy for nurse training,in time for students to begin classes in the building on Aug. 26.

The move frees up much-needed space on DMACC’s Urban campus on University Avenue, where enrollment has increased by 25 percent within just the past year, Denson said.

“This is an opportunity for us to make a dent in that whole capacity issue,” he said.

Ray Walton, director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services, pitched the idea of leasing space in the former hospital to Denson a year and a half ago after Denson had mentioned DMACC’s space constraints at its Urban campus.

“It’s a perfect use of state resources,” said Walton, who estimates the building has a remaining useful life of about 10 years, after which it will likely be demolished.

The state purchased the building last year from Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines, which vacated the building last fall when it opened Mercy Medical Center – West Lakes in West Des Moines.

DMACC will pay a lease rate of $3.29 per square foot for the space, the same rate that any state agency would pay, Walton said.

The community college expects to spend approximately $40,000 to renovate the space and about $130,000 for technology upgrades to the space.

Denson said DMACC has plenty of land available on its Urban Campus for expansion, so it is not considering a purchase of the state land to expand. The college has no immediate plans to expand the Urban Campus, he said.