Western University of Health Sciences - Impact in The Community

Impact in The Community

Western University of Health Sciences has two Patient Care Centers, one is located in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, and the other is in Pomona, CA on the main university campus. The Pomona Patient Care Center opened in May 2010, and serves more than 10,000 patients per year. The Pomona Patient Care Center includes a Medical Center, Foot & Ankle Center, Eye Care Center, Dental Center and Pharmacy. Once a year, the Dental Center offers free dental care to children as a part of the annual Give Kids a Smile program, and the eye care center offers free ongoing eye exams for infants 6–12 months of age. The center is also home to the Western Diabetes Institute, an accredited diabetes education center. The institute is a patient-centered practice unit designed to provide efficient, high quality care to diabetic patients. The Rancho Cucamonga Patient Care Center provides family medicine, internal medicine, foot and ankle care.

The university is one of the largest employers in Pomona, has greatly contributed to the economic development of downtown, bringing millions of dollars to the area. The Pomona Patient Care Center and the Health Education Center, a 180,000 square-foot teaching and research facility, both opened in 2010 as a part of a $100 million dollar expansion project at WesternU. The expansion accommodated its three newest colleges -- dentistry, podiatry and optometry—and created a new home for the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific.

In 1998, the university established the Harris Family Center for Disability and Health Policy. The Center's mission is to "enhance health professions education, and to improve access for people with disabilities to health, health education and health care services." The Center provides consultation and training to organizations, companies, hospitals, etc. to help them meet the needs of individuals with disabilities.

In 2008, the Banfield Pet Hospital on campus was opened to the community, providing primary care services such as vaccinations, spaying and neutering, microchiping, surgery, dental exams and cleanings, as well as flea, tick and heartworm control. The hospital includes a surgical suite, an x-ray room, a half dozen exam rooms and isolation facilities.

The Pumerantz Library provides a diabetes education program to the community, in a partnership with the Pomona Public Library. The project aims to help Spanish-speaking members of the community access reliable information about diabetes.