Holistic Healthcare College Opens in Kona

ACHS Kona campus. Courtesy photo.

The American College of Healthcare Sciences is opening a new satellite campus in the Central Kona Center Building in Kealakekua.

Community members, students and graduates in the Kona area can tour the satellite campus at the college’s Open House event on Saturday, March 18, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Initially, the college’s new campus will offer on-site wellness workshops and classes to the local community, training to its Pacific Rim students who want to study aromatherapy with industry experts in a face-to-face environment and additional on-site learning opportunities for current ACHS students and graduates.

College President and Health and Wellness Expert Dorene Petersen will attend the event and share information about upcoming holistic health classes and workshops (aromatherapy, holistic nutrition and more).

Guests are also invited to enter to win a free door prize.

“It’s exciting to see how much the ACHS community has grown since founding the college nearly 40 years ago,” said ACHS President and Founder Dorene Petersen. “Our community of students, alumni and faculty—who are committed to the advancement of the holistic health and wellness industry—is truly amazing. Our goal is always to provide an outstanding academic experience and our new Kona campus will be integral to that mission. There is a lot of opportunity for community outreach and enrichment, and expanded student support. Dean of Students Heather Baley will manage the new campus and has more than 15 years’ experience in Student Services.”

ACHS has nearly 40 years’ experience providing accredited complementary alternative medicine and holistic health and wellness education. Programs vary from full-length graduate and undergraduate degrees to professional certificates to one-hour webinars. Areas of specialty include aromatherapy, herbal medicine, holistic nutrition, holistic spa management, wellness coaching and sports nutrition, among others.

ACHS is committed to professionalism, integrity, and ethical and social responsibility, and was one of the first accredited higher education institutions specializing in holistic health and wellness to come a Certified B Corporation. ACHS is one of only approximately 1,800 other companies to earn this designation through a verifiable commitment to higher standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, accountability and to maintaining a clear mission to benefit the communities served.

The ACHS satellite campus in Kona plans to offer extensive community service through free and low-cost clinics for wellness and nutrition coaching provided by students and graduates.

“Hawai‘i has always been top of my list for a satellite campus,” said ACHS Chief Strategy Officer Erika Yigzaw. “As a New Zealander, Hawai‘i feels like home, and the rich history of botanical medicine and the amazing native plants offer much inspiration for health and wellness advocates. In fact, island life should inspire us all to reduce stress and live more simply. There’s a reason that so many of the world’s Blue Zones are on islands! The Hawai‘i satellite campus creates more opportunities for our students and graduates to experience transformational learning and lets ACHS give back to kama‘āina through community education and health coaching clinics with students and graduates from programs like the Master of Science in Holistic Nutrition and Diploma in Aromatherapy. It’s a win-win for a B CorpTM like ACHS.”

For more information about ACHS and its current programs, visit www.achs.edu, call (800) 487-8839 or email [email protected].

The  satellite campus is located at 81-958 Haleki‘i St., Ste. 5C.

About ACHS

Founded in 1978, ACHS.edu is an accredited College offering online, on-campus, and study abroad integrative health education. With undergraduate and graduate degrees, diplomas, certificates, and CEUs in integrative medicine, ACHS makes holistic health and wellness education accessible to a diverse community of learners, including healthcare professionals, military students, stay-at-home parents, and lifelong learners. Specializations include aromatherapy, herbal medicine, holistic nutrition, and wellness. A Certified B Corporation® and 2016 Top Green Workplace, ACHS is also accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission (DEAC), which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).