A new Wellness Care Wing that includes massage therapy, acupuncture and chiropractic services will open today at the Campus Health Services building.
The wing is located in the administration end of the Campus Health Service building on East University Drive and Palm Walk.
Dr. Allan Markus, director of Campus Health Services, said that Campus Health Services, Undergraduate Student Government and the Health and Counseling Student Action Committee decided to create the new wing because it would be best to put all the alternative services that students want in one place.
“[We’re] putting them all in one place where students can get the whole wellness feeling,” Markus said.
Although the physical Wellness Care Wing was not newly built, renovation costs, including paint and new furnishings, totaled $4,130.
USG paid for everything except the paint, which Campus Health Services donated.
He said ASU is the first campus in the nation he knows that offers comprehensive wellness care in the nation, and that Campus Health Services is also working to create a wellness care package for the fall.
“Students will be able to pay one price and get a free first nutrition visit, a wellness profile and significantly discounted rates for massage therapy, acupuncture and chiropractic services,” Markus said.
He said that acupuncture has been available on the Tempe campus for three years, massage therapy since the spring 2009 semester and chiropractic services since last fall.
The waiting room used to be a hallway location and the rooms were scattered throughout the Campus Health Services at the Tempe campus, Markus said.
Markus said that in March, 30 students saw a chiropractor, 46 saw a massage therapist, 59 saw an acupuncturist and 40 saw a nutritionist.
“We know that already we’re seeing that students are filling up the times for the massage therapist and the acupuncturist,” Markus said, “They’re almost completely full on the days they’re here.”
The prices for acupuncture and chiropractic services vary from $40 to $60, while 30 minutes of a massage is $20 and one hour is $35.
Markus said the reason the services were added was to “complement the care [people] were getting from traditional health-care medicine.”
He said most students had to go off campus to use those services.
“We’re just responding to what students said they wanted,” Markus said.
Anarina Murillo, the health and wellness director for USG, said USG helped by painting the wing with staff from the other two collaborators and by donating most of the money.
Murillo said USG wanted to help promote the idea of preventing illnesses and injuries.
“I feel that having this wing designated as the Wellness Care Wing really sends the message that Campus Health Services is promoting the prevention of illnesses,” she said.
Reach the reporter at reweaver@asu.edu.
