From dental surgeries to routine vaccinations, Wichita State offers a diverse range of health services. Students, faculty, staff and community members are able to receive care from facilities on and off campus. 

For students, this means less time spent stressing over how to find a provider or pay a medical bill. Professors are able to snag appointments in between class periods, and community members have access to the university’s high-quality care.

The qualifications required to obtain care from specific facilities in and around the Wichita State campus vary by enrollment and employment status, but all clinics share one goal – to provide accessible, affordable health care.

Student options

For WSU students, Student Health Services (SHS) encompass a wide variety of care services from its office in the Steve Clark YMCA. From immunizations to mental health care to gender-affirming services, SHS offers various services for students.

“We want to make sure that we keep students as our focus,” SHS Director Heather Stafford said. “That, of course, is why we’re all here on campus.”

Faculty and staff options

A new acute care clinic for WSU faculty, staff, designated WSU affiliates and graduate assistants opened May 1 at the SHS. The clinic supports those who, with the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency, can no longer receive free COVID testing and care. 

Those eligible for care will receive treatment, ranging from $30-$50 for minor illnesses and injuries from the comfort of campus grounds. 

“We noticed during COVID that faculty and staff do like the option of having aid on campus to help,” Stafford said. “It won’t take them very long to get over here, get seen, and get back to their jobs. But what we’re hoping is that it helps with public health.”

The faculty and staff clinic operates without the use of student fees, generating all of its revenue through patient insurance. Special services, such as gynecological appointments, will remain limited to students to prioritize them in chronic care.

Campus and community

Supplemental services are available in other facilities on and around campus. The WSU General Dentistry and Advanced Education in General Dentistry program enables dental hygienist students to practice their skills on patients, including WSU staff, students and community members. 

Soon, WSU students will be able to receive discounted rates for treatment and care. While the dentist’s office provides general care, it strongly emphasizes advanced and specialty procedures.

“We’re able to offer advanced services that you may not find in a private practice of general dentists,” Clinic Manager Maychen Johnson said. “We also have the advantage of having specialists on our faculty that can oversee procedures at all times, so you have more than two or three sets of eyes looking at your case to make sure that you’re getting the absolute best care.”

The Evelyn Hendren Cassat Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, a short distance north of campus, extends care to campus affiliates and community members. It mostly caters to children and the elderly, with services such as articulation, language and literacy training, pediatric feeding and swallowing, and hearing and hearing aid evaluations. 

Additional information regarding care services available through the SHS, Faculty/Staff Acute Care Clinic, Speech-Language-Hearing Clinic, and dental clinics can be found on the WSU website.