President's Club has healthy impact on students' quality of life

It’s no secret that Arizona State University’s support from the President’s Club has had a healthy impact across the university and its four campuses. This is evident in the newly renovated and expanded ASU Health Services Center, which was completed with investments from the President’s Club, a group of men and women committed to transforming public higher education in Arizona.

The President’s Club, a philanthropic arm of the ASU Foundation for A New American University, is designed to give ASU President Michael M. Crow the resources and flexibility to pursue groundbreaking initiatives.

Contributions can be used quickly, at any time, on innovative programs or initiatives – like the health center renovation.

“It is gratifying to see that President’s Club investments have helped ASU address important issues, particularly the health care of its students,” says the organization’s Co-Chair Bob Bulla, who has a long history of investment in health care and higher education. At the time of his retirement, Bulla was the longest tenured chief executive officer in the Blue Cross Blue Shield system, where he served as president and chief executive officer. He also has served as president of the Arizona Board of Regents.

The expansion, completed in March, added 20,000 square feet of space to a structure that was built in 1954. Builders renovated about 14,500 square feet built in 1968 – the last time space was added to the facility. At that time, ASU had 23,000 students. Today, enrollment is almost 60,000 on the Tempe campus.

Innovative features include a first-floor acute care and sports medicine center with world-class technology and a second floor that accommodates primary care and women’s health.

Additions and renovations created more space for acute care services, allowing more patients to be seen per day and decreasing wait times. Patient wait times for visits that require laboratory testing have decreased 30-50 minutes on average since renovations were finished.

“We’re very excited about the changes,” says Allan Markus, director of ASU Health Services. “We created a much more modern, beautiful and efficient health center that allows more accessibility for all students to health services.”

In addition to traditional medicine, its staff offers students integrative medicine, such as acupuncture, chiropractic, massage therapy and nutrition counseling. New technological features allow for advanced capabilities, like telemedicine, with which a patient can consult with a doctor who is not on site.

“Good health care is an issue that is important not just to me personally, but to the success of every student at ASU,” Bulla says. “The new health center is a concrete reminder of how President’s Club involvement is bringing about improvements not just in classrooms, but also in the quality of life for students.”

After the renovation was completed, ASU Health Services joined the Mayo Clinic Care Network, giving students access to the latest Mayo Clinic expertise, such as:

• AskMayoExperts, a state-of-the-art tool that provides access to Mayo Clinic expertise in disease management, clinical care guidelines, treatment recommendations and reference materials.

• eConsults, which allows ASU physicians to ask specific questions of Mayo experts.

• Working relationships with Mayo Clinic experts.

“Arizona State University and Mayo Clinic have been collaborating on a number of levels for many years,” President Crow says. “This association, making University Health Services part of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, will provide benefits from day one.

“We have more than 70,000 students across ASU, and we need to provide a wide range of medical care and advice in anticipation of nearly any condition,” adds Crow. “It is a real advantage to be able to access the vast information network and expertise of the Mayo Clinic to provide the very best health care and advice possible.

“The funding provided through the support of the ASU President’s Club has once again had a meaningful impact on the advancement of this university and its service to our students.”

Melissa Bordow, melissa.bordow@asu.edu
Communications Specialist, Editorial Services
ASU Foundation for A New American University
480-965-7737