Philanthropy
Philanthropy is an integral part of the education model at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions (RMUoHP). The university offers an elective course on “Service Learning,” which allows students to earn school credit for hours spent volunteering. In addition, the university encourages its faculty and staff to spend 20% of their time each week working in a volunteer or research capacity. RMUoHP President Richard Nielsen treats patients himself three mornings a week at RMUoHP’s Community Rehabilitation Clinic.
RMUoHP Foundation
The mission of the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions Foundation (RMU Foundation) is dedicated to providing an environment that encourages and supports student and faculty research. The mission of the foundation is “to advance the quality and accessibility of healthcare.” This mission has three main objectives:
- Serve the community through the Community Rehabilitation Clinic and other strategic initiatives.
- Foster and sponsor student and faculty research in healthcare-related fields.
- Collaborate with organizations that share this mission.
In August 2017, RMUoHP established the Office of Research and Sponsored Projects (ORSP). ORSP’s purpose is to remove barriers for faculty and students to conduct innovative research that will enhance knowledge and provide evidence for better clinical practice. In 2018, RMUoHP launched and funded $19,960 worth of internal grants to faculty engaged in a wide range of research. Since RMUoHP’s inception, over 800 peer-reviewed student and faculty articles have been published.
Learning Resource Center
The RMU Foundation provides RMUoHP’s Learning Resource Center (LRC) with materials to assist students in their health science education, as well as faculty and staff research. The LRC provides access to articles and journals, books, dissertations, and capstones, in addition to database and research assistance. Annual funding is directed to journal software, databases, electronic connections, and resource expansion efforts.
In 2017, the university started the Writing Center for students and faculty to get writing mentorship and feedback. The RMUoHP Writing Center is available to all members of the RMUoHP community and offers free one-on-one and group mentoring. This service is available for all stages of the writing process, from the initial brainstorming session of a doctoral candidate’s dissertation, through the final editing stage of a faculty member’s manuscript.
The Africa Humanitarian Mission
The Africa Humanitarian Mission was created in partnership with World of Difference in 2013 to help establish sustainable communities in Africa and to give African children a chance at a better life. The RMUoHP community participates in the mission in two key areas: education and health. For the last five years, RMUoHP students and staff have served needy populations in Africa by building schools, training teachers, donating school supplies, and providing free healthcare in local clinics.
In 2016, the Mission donated over 18,000 hours and packed and delivered 3,500 pounds of educational materials, medical supplies, and athletic equipment including 52 soccer balls, tools, blankets, first-aid supplies, and hygiene kits. Over 500 pounds of medical textbooks were donated to hospitals in Lilongwe and Blantyre in Malawi. Since the program’s inception, the Africa Humanitarian Mission and World of Difference have built 12 schools in Africa.
The Community Rehabilitation Clinic
The Community Rehabilitation Clinic (CRC) is the first pro-bono clinic of its kind in Utah County. The CRC opened in 2014 by Rocky Mountain University to serve the uninsured and underserved citizens of Utah County who suffer from orthopedic injuries, have undergone surgical correction for an orthopedic abnormality, or need rehabilitation therapy care due to age or disability. The clinic was built using nearly $100,000 of community donations and is committed to remaining a free clinic where anyone can access high-quality care.
The clinic is located in Provo, Utah, and treats mostly patients with physical therapy needs. The staff is made up of licensed, qualified rehabilitation therapy practitioners who are assisted by RMUoHP’s Doctor of Physical Therapy students. The CRC has served over 5,000 patients since it opened its doors and has been home to more than 1,200 volunteer hours by RMUoHP staff and students, pre-Physician Assistant and pre-Physical Therapy students from Brigham Young University and Utah Valley University, and other licensed PTs from the surrounding community.
RMUoHP Center for Communication Disorders
In 2017, the RMUoHP Foundation announced plans for the RMUoHP Center for Communication Disorders (CCD). The ribbon cutting ceremony was June 15, 2018. This new philanthropic arm assesses and treats members of our community with speech-language pathology needs, including speech sounds, language, voice and resonance, fluency, aural rehabilitation, social communication, augmentative and alternative communication, and swallowing. The clinic serves infants through geriatrics free of charge, in support of RMUoHP’s mission of “providing services to the uninsured and underinsured populations in Utah.”
Clients are seen by graduate students in RMUoHP’s Master of Science in Speech Language Pathology program who are supervised by certified and licensed speech-language pathologists. In addition, the CCD operates several programs outside of the clinic in collaboration with the community, including an adult literacy program through Project Read at the Provo Library and early literacy programming with the Early Head Start program in Orem, Utah.
For more information about Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions and its mission and core values, visit the website (https://rm.edu/).
