One of the country's largest health care accrediting groups has given the UF Student Health Care Center its stamp of approval.
The SHCC has been accredited, or recognized for meeting patient-care and performance benchmarks, since 1975, but it must be re-examined every few years.
The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, which has accredited more than 3,600 outpatient facilities in the U.S. since 1979, evaluated the SHCC for the fourth time, said Louise Okken, quality improvement coordinator for the center.
Earning accreditation is not mandatory for the facility, and less than 15 percent of college health care centers nationwide are accredited, according to an SHCC news release.
Okken said that even though three years pass between evaluations, the SHCC does not take time off from maintaining high standards.
"We live quality every day," Okken said. "It's not like a test you take once every three years."
Okken said few colleges become accredited because it is a long and expensive process.
Depending on the facility's size, it could cost more than $10,000, she said.
The process includes a lengthy application, a self-evaluation by the center being considered and a visit from surveyors to examine health care practices.
Okken said the center was fortunate because the surveyors who came worked in college care, which helped them understand how the SHCC should be run. She said the facility was reviewed on May 19 -20 and received its certificate of accreditation earlier this month.
