William & Mary’s Student Health Center has earned reaccreditation by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), a distinction held by fewer than 10% of university health centers nationwide and only seven universities in Virginia.

Reaccreditation recognizes the university’s commitment to providing exceptional, student-centered care. The accreditation will run through April 2028 and is renewed on a three-year basis; William & Mary has been accredited for the past 20 years.

“This accreditation process is both a validation of the exceptional care and dedication our Student Health Center team demonstrates every day and an opportunity to strengthen the ways we serve students,” said David Dafashy, medical director for the student health center. “The review highlighted not only the impressive breadth and quality of our services but also our commitment to continuous improvement and ensuring our students receive the best possible care.”

Founded in 1979, AAAHC accredits various health care organizations, including office-based surgery centers, endoscopy centers and college student health centers. Review from AAAHC is a two-day process, with accreditors examining charting and whether various standards of care and safety are being met, including emergency management, infection prevention and control, and patient rights, responsibilities and protections, among other categories.

“William & Mary is remarkable for its commitment to promoting student resilience and flourishing through an integrative approach to health and wellness,” said Chris Renjilian, associate vice president for health & wellness. “The Student Health Center is a key entry point for students to access resources, seek support, learn and participate in protecting and creating their wellbeing. Through the reaccreditation cycle, the Student Health Center demonstrates its evergreen commitment to offering health services with quality and integrity. “

Staffing at the health center, located within the McLeod Tyler Wellness Center, usually consists of five registered nurses, one medical assistant and five providers, with four being medical doctors and one a nurse practitioner. The wellness center also has a full-time pharmacist and, last year, had student workers as pharmacy technicians.

The wellness center also has a lab manager, two technicians who assist with medical records and a referral specialist who helps students find coverage that works with their insurance.

“(The accreditation process) has really allowed us to keep better records and access them more quickly,” said Katrina Holden, nurse manager of the health center. “Students have better access to their health records as well.”

The list of what the health center can provide for students includes:

• Physicals
• Wellness visits
• Immunization
• Allergy injection
• IV antibiotics
• Stitches
• Concussion care
• Sutures

All full-time students pay a health fee as part of their tuition that entitles them to care, and they can be seen at the Student Health Center even if they are not on the university’s insurance.  There are fees to see a doctor or nurse practitioner.

Holden and the staff at the health center credit the Parents Fund for William & Mary and the Student Assembly of William & Mary as helpful financial resources for providing healthcare access on campus. By utilizing funds from both groups, the health center has also been able to do such things as purchase a mobile cart to move from room to room and buy durable medical equipment such as crutches and braces.

“Between those two organizations, (students get care) for basically a copay of $25,” said Holden. “They can get a leg brace and get their cold medicine; they can get their basic labs done. So we’ve been trying to remove barriers so that people can see that it’s cost-effective.”

Nurses are available during normal working hours. Students typically walk into the wellness center and walk out with the medicine or care they need that same day, according to Holden.

If students need long-term care, the health center has multiple rooms with beds for students to use.

Through a plethora of services, the health center aims to meet as many needs as possible for students. This is by design, according to Holden, who said that the university chooses to keep services in-house as much as possible, providing students with healthcare options whether it’s for emergencies like anaphylaxis or routine shots. It also allowed for a more community-centered approach to health care, with some students fostering connections with nursing staff that last throughout their journey at William & Mary.

“Especially when it comes to our allergy injection students, a lot of students that we see on a regular basis will stop by before they graduate,” said Shelly Smith, administrative coordinator for compliance, communication and technology for the health center.

Tracy Garcia, who has been a nurse for the health center for more than 15 years, says she enjoys both the relationships that healthcare can create and the policy writing that reaccreditation requires. 

“I like writing policies,” she said. “I like to get into the weeds of it and say, ‘This is how we’re going to take care of you. This is how I’m going to communicate it with you.’ So I like that part of the process.”

Ultimately, with the help of reaccreditation, staff at the student health center can continue their work of providing the best care William & Mary can offer, including online scheduling, which will roll out later this year.

“I think the biggest thing for most of us here is educating students in healthcare and how to be good stewards of healthcare,” said Smith.