Program gets $90,000 accreditation boost from SUNY
News Editor
A $90,000 grant from SUNY will allow Hudson Valley to begin the accreditation process of its health information management and technology program.
According to Phillip White, dean of business, engineering and industrial technologies, new policies have made it difficult to find a job without having a degree from an accredited program. After the course, accredited students will be able to sit for a licensing exam.
White noted that the current course model is already similar to standards of Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management (CAHIIM) so changes to the curriculum should be minimal.
CAHIIM is the agency responsible for accrediting the program at Hudson Valley. The process is estimated to take 2 years, but after the initial application, the program will be considered accredited while under review.
The grant, partially authored by assistant professor Barbara Lamarche, is considered competitive though most proposals are funded. Over 35 percent of the funding from last year’s grants went to healthcare related programs.
“We get a lot of grants from the state and federal government which are linked to specific programs or curriculums as is the case here. we get an awful lot of money that way,” said Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing Eric Bryant.
This semester, Hudson Valley has received over $1,000,000 in contributions in the form of donations and grants. Last Wednesday, the college announced that it received a $25,000 donation that will allow them to give a $1,000 scholarship annually to a student in the electrical technologies program.
About 35 students graduate from the program annually. The college predicts that the program will attract about 6 new students in the first semester after the accreditation process begins.
The grant is part of the SUNY Higher Needs program which has given over 30 million dollars to colleges across the state since 2006. The program seeks to fill jobs in new and expanding industries such as engineering and nursing. The college cited the increased need for healthcare professionals because of a rapidly aging baby boomer generation.
SUNY reports that since 2013, the initiative has helped over 2,000 students receive training for a job in high demand. SUNY also claims that more than 50 new faculty members were hired with the grant money. At Hudson Valley, most of the money will going towards hiring an accredited faculty member to lead the program.