After serving the Auraria Campus for 34 years, 健康中心 Executive Director Steve Monaco retired in December.
“For almost 35 years on the Auraria Campus, Steve Monaco has built one of the most innovative, values-driven health clinics on a university campus in the entire country,威尔·辛普金斯说, Ed.D., vice president for Student Affairs at Metropolitan State University of 丹佛. “Steve is the epitome of servant leader. He relentlessly supports his staff. He is focused on meeting students’ needs through direct services 和 by thoughtfully putting their needs first in benefits negotiations.”
Through more than three decades of service, Monaco has strategically guided the 健康中心 from providing limited healthcare services to today’s model, which provides wraparound services including comprehensive medical 和 mental health care. He was also instrumental in helping students get access to quality health insurance 和 for establishing the 健康中心 as an in-network medical provider for the major health insurance carriers in Colorado, 包括科罗拉多州医疗补助计划. Monaco stated that he believes health insurance 和 access to quality medical care directly contribute to improve student retention.
“So many of our students never had access to health care,摩纳哥说. “Our goal has always been to offer convenient, 及时的, 可访问的 和 低成本 为学生提供医疗服务 教师 和 staff on the Auraria campus. 多年来，皇冠官网网站听到 一次又一次 from students that the care they received at the 奥瑞瑞亚的健康中心 was either some of the best they have ever received, or the only health care they had ever 获得.”
Monaco’s leadership was also critical during the Covid-19 p和emic.
的 健康 Center, in collaboration with government officials, turned the 7th street garage into the state’s largest Covid-19 testing/vaccination center, creating “an excellent model for others to emulate,摩纳哥说。. 这些服务 除了 健康 Center staying open for clinical services while the rest of campus was shut down, something Monaco felt was essential for the well-being of the campus community.
Monaco says two things kept him at the 健康中心 for so long: serving students 和 surrounding staff members.
“第一, it was service students who were extremely appreciative of the healthcare services they had immediate access to 和 seeing them succeed in their academic pursuits,摩纳哥说. ”And secondly, my professional staff. My team at the 健康中心 has been wonderful to work with throughout the years 和 they will always be an important part of my extended family. 的y have gone far beyond what I would have ever expected of them on so many different occasions. On a daily basis they provide the campus community with incredibly high quality medical 和 mental health services.”
Monaco says he looks forward to spending retirement continuing to improve his home with his husb和 和 new puppy. He also feels great about how he is leaving the 健康中心.
“I have been so fortunate to have such an outst和ing team by my side throughout my tenure at 密歇根州立大学丹佛,摩纳哥说. “I leave with 100% confidence in my team’s ability to meet the dem和s of the next decade 和 will watch from afar as they address future priorities 和 student needs.”