UPEI Health and Wellness Centre first stand-alone university health centre to earn full accreditation
On January 6, 2025, the UPEI Health and Wellness Centre became the first stand-alone university health centre to earn full accreditation from Accreditation Canada. Achieving full accreditation allowed the centre to be surveyed against national standards and by its peers and ensures the Centre has the fundamentals of safety and quality in place.
The UPEI site survey, a thorough and rigorous process, took place from December 9–12, 2024, with a surveyor from Accreditation Canada from Guelph, Ontario, to conduct the on-site assessment as part of the Qmentum Global program. This accreditation program uses relevant assessment standards and methods and enables organizations to continuously improve their quality of care.
During the visit, the surveyor met with leaders across several UPEI departments including Human Resources; Health, Safety, and Environment; Security; Finance; Facilities Management; and Communications. The surveyor also facilitated focus groups with patients (students, staff, and faculty), internal campus partners (UPEI Athletics and Recreation, Student Affairs, Student Union, Psychology Training Clinic, and the Faculty of Nursing), and external community partners (PEI Chief Public Health Office, and Sexual Health, Options and Reproductive Services).
“This achievement reflects the team’s hard work and years of dedicated leadership. I’m thrilled to see their efforts recognized,” said Bonnie Lipton-Bos, Manager of the UPEI Health and Wellness Centre. “Since joining the team, I’ve witnessed their collaboration, professionalism, and passion first-hand. Their dedication to quality, patient-centred care is truly inspiring. They not only take pride in their work but also bring joy, laughter, and genuine care to both their patients and each other.”
The UPEI Health and Wellness Centre was assessed on 15 standards and over 600 criteria. The standards included service excellence; planning and service design; integrated quality management; episode of care-primary care; human capital; infection prevention and control; medication management; emergency preparedness; physical environment; communications; principle-based care and decision making; medical devices and equipment; community partners discussion; client and family engagement focus group; and people-centred care.
“The Health Centre leadership and team are commended for their unwavering commitment to person-centred care and fostering an atmosphere of wellness,” says the report. “The team has worked diligently to create a culture and primary care practice that genuinely places the patient at the heart of their care. The clinical team views patients as partners and, as consistently reported by patients, they go above and beyond to ensure they receive the care they need.’”
Marilyn Barrett, Director of Distributed Medical Education and Family Medicine at UPEI, said this award is a significant recognition of the high-quality services the UPEI Health and Wellness team provides.
“I am proud of the work that Bonnie has managed to do in such a short time as the new manager of the health and wellness clinic. This team demonstrates leadership and a high level of accountability to the campus community, resulting in UPEI being the first university health centre in Canada to achieve this important accreditation. Well done!”
