By: Katie Lawrence/Contributing Writer
Elvira Velez, who ingrained a for-the-students, open-door policy into her staff, is retiring after 28 years.
Velez, the University’s director of health administration at the Biscayne Bay Campus, will leave behind a legacy of improvements to the University’s health care system and a motivation to continue to improve student’s maintenance of health and wellness.
Velez spearheaded the growth of health services at BBC, starting out in a remodeled storage closet in the Wolfe Center and eventually bringing not only the free-standing health office but also the wellness center and fair to the University.
“She was the force behind all those things,” said Therese Boyd, associate director of UHS at BBC. “When [University Health Services at BBC] started out, she was it.”
Velez, warmly referred to as ‘Vira’ by her colleagues, was hired by Kathleen Kleinert, a registered nurse practitioner at the Modesto Maidique Campus who had been overseeing the health service growth on that campus to bring similar growth and improvements to BBC.
One of Velez’s greatest contributions was her passion for wellness. “She’s really taken the program from its inception, and has been the lead of the improvements [at BBC] since the beginning,” said Oscar Loynaz, director of UHS at MMC, who was hired by Velez 11 years ago, of her creation of the wellness center.
Velez is also responsible for the Wellness Expo, and many of the programs that have come from it, such as massages and free HIV testing.
“The programs just grew and grew and she was behind it all,” continued Loynaz. “She loves working with students and being able to make a difference in their lives.”
“It’s been a wonderful 28 years,” said Velez, 66, who will step down at the end of the month. “We tried to do things so that the students are not only pampered, but educated.”
Her passion for student health is clear.
“One of the things with students is you get immediate positive reinforcement from them. I’ve been lucky, a lot of my students often came back and told me they appreciate the attention they received. That’s something that’s really different in college health – the relationships.”
As for BBC’s future direction of its health system, there has been no immediate replacement named for Velez as of this writing, but there are plans for future expansion and improvements. Loynaz visited both Florida Atlantic University and Florida Gulf Coast University from Jan. 22 to 23 to examine their electronic health files as the University plans to implement electronic records into the program.
Also, the University plans to increase enrollment. This will bring the need for a larger building, a tentative plan that could include not only health services and the wellness center, but also the psychological services as well so students will have a one-stop shop for their physical and psychological well being.
As for Velez, she said she might return to being a nurse practitioner after some time off.
“She’s really devoted her life to students and providing the best health services to them,” Boyd said. “She made it clear to her staff that we exist solely because the students. For us it’s extremely important to listen to their wants and be responsive to their needs. Our doors are always open.”
About Post Author
