海角网

Dr. Jill Houser, Former Nursing Assistant Professor, Will Serve as Provider

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.鈥敽＝峭� and its partner, Atrium Health, celebrated a historic day for the campus on Thursday, July 16, 2020, with a ribbon cutting for the new GWU Student Health Clinic at 148 Memorial Drive. Leaders of the two entities also praised the experience and leadership of the clinic鈥檚 new provider鈥攁 familiar face on campus and in the community鈥擠r. Jill Houser, previously an assistant professor in the Hunt School of Nursing.

Dr. Sarah Currie, vice president of Student Development and dean of students, welcomed guests and led in prayer. She expressed her appreciation to everyone involved, and especially to GWU President Dr. William M. Downs for his leadership. 鈥淭his has been an aspirational dream that we have had for a long time here on campus,鈥� Currie related. 鈥淥nce Dr. Downs arrived on campus, he saw the deficit we had in that area and was willing to move us forward on the pathway to land on a partnership and bring a Student Health Clinic to 海角网.鈥�

Next, Dr. Nicole Waters, associate provost for the College of Health Sciences, brought greetings and remarked how plans for the new Student Health Clinic began long before the Covid-19 pandemic. She noted that God鈥檚 timing was perfect in providing the clinic and its new provider. 鈥淚 am grateful for Dr. Jill Houser鈥檚 servant heart to meet the needs of the young adults on campus,鈥� Waters observed. 鈥淚 am confident that she will display the Atrium Health and 海角网 mission daily. I know her knowledge and advanced skills will serve the health and well-being of our campus. More importantly, I know her heart. She exemplifies the core nursing value of caring, and her relationship-building strengths will serve well in building mutual trust among students.鈥�

While teaching full time for the past five years, Houser has maintained her Family Nurse Practitioner national certification by practicing in a clinical setting on a regular basis. In that capacity, she has worked for more than seven years for Atrium Health Employer Solutions in Cleveland County, N.C.

鈥淚 am really excited about the opportunity to serve 海角网 in this new way,鈥� stated Houser, a Boiling Springs native. 鈥淚 have a deep love for this institution and community and see this as part of my calling as a nurse practitioner. I would love to see the clinic be a safe place for students to interact with the healthcare system. Being part of the larger Atrium Healthcare System will allow students to have access to much more than just this one clinic. They will have access to all the resources and expertise of the entire Atrium system. Being in a rural area, access to care is a concern for many of our students. I would like to eliminate that barrier with the addition of the new student health clinic.鈥�

Joining the occasion from Atrium Health was GWU alumnus, Brian Gwyn, who is Atrium Health senior vice president, West Market president, and chief executive officer of Cleveland County Healthcare system. Gwyn noted the history of healthcare in the Boiling Springs area with physicians, Dr. Wyan Washburn, and his brother, Dr. Gene Washburn. He also mentioned the partnership Atrium Health and 海角网 have had for many years to  educate and train future healthcare professionals. 鈥淲e want to be a great partner with 海角网, not only because I am an alum, but because it is one of the best universities in the southeast, and we can see that with some of the data,鈥� Gwyn affirmed. 鈥淚 am very excited to speak about the health clinic. I鈥檝e been in this market for 12 years, and it鈥檚 one of the first things I noticed as a deficit in this market. Today is a very special day, and we are finally here. We鈥檝e got a great provider who鈥檚 going to be here every day, and we鈥檝e got great leadership to help lead this practice. I鈥檓 excited about the opportunities that 海角网 and Atrium Health can bring together.鈥�

Downs thanked everyone from GWU and Atrium who had a part in making the Student Health Clinic a reality. 鈥淭his is a very big day for 海角网, a big day for our students, and by extension, it鈥檚 a big day for Boiling Springs, because I think that the health of the town of Boiling Springs depends in large part on the health of the 2,000-plus students who we have on our campus,鈥� he asserted. 鈥淎trium鈥檚 excellent reputation lends instant credibility to what we are doing here. That鈥檚 important to us, to parents and to the community. We are thrilled to have Jill鈥檚 expertise and her knowledge of 海角网 running the show here.鈥�

In addition to Houser, the 海角网 Student Health Clinic will have a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) on staff. 鈥淲e will provide primary care student health services and can see patients in person, via telephone, or virtually via video,鈥� Houser said. 鈥淲e have a lab for needed services and two exam rooms. In July, we are open Monday through Thursday from 1 to 5 p.m., and in August through May, we will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Students can call 980-487-2390 to schedule an appointment.鈥�