Public Relations and Marketing

Contact: Bob Trumpy (509-963-1876/fax 509-963-1886/e-mail trumpyr@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Central Washington University’s student health center has been accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Inc. (AAAHC), a national organization based in Wilmette, Ill.

Led by the efforts of physician assistant Michael Swesey and, more recently, Dr. Art DePalma, center staff members began preparing for the accreditation process nearly five years ago.

Status as an accredited organization means CWU has passed a series of rigorous and nationally recognized standards for the provision of quality health care, set by AAAHC. More than 1,300 ambulatory health care organizations -- such as the one at Central -- are accredited by AAAHC.

“Accreditation underscores our long-standing commitment to providing the highest possible levels of quality care to the community we serve,” said Bob Trumpy, director of CWU’s health and counseling services. “We are pleased and proud to have our efforts recognized.”

Trumpy said 59 percent of students on the Ellensburg campus visited the combined health and counseling center last year. The medical/health center includes a full lab, x-ray equipment, urgent care room and a sickroom. The center added Saturday medical hours last spring after students expressed interest through a needs assessment survey. Upper respiratory infections -- sinus, chest colds, sore throats - were the No. 1 reason for student visits.

Dr. DePalma, the health center’s physician and medical director, is a board certified family practitioner who has been at Central for more than a year. He is a retired Air Force reserve colonel and a flight surgeon.

Dr. DePalma is joined by Rhonda McKinney, director of counseling; Gail Farmer, wellness director; and Janet Noyes, office manager, in rounding out “one of the most student-centered management teams anyone could wish for,” according to Trumpy.

The counseling center staff includes three psychologists and two licensed master’s level counselors. Trumpy described the counseling center activities as “busy, with a lot of outreach and crisis response activities given the events of Sept. 11 and the effect on our campus community following the recent untimely deaths of staff and students.”

CWU students, taking six or more credits, pay a $45 mandatory, dedicated fee for only the health and counseling services. Trumpy added that, “The ($45) fee was set four years ago and is due to be reviewed again this year for both an increase in costs due to inflation as well as the need to support the full services of the wellness center, which until recently was completely funded by state and student and activity dollars.”