The programs, the first of their kind on Long Island, will be offered this fall and will include additional instructors from North Shore-LIJ.The Zarb School and North Shore-LIJ partnered to create these programs in response to a fast-growing demand for MBA graduates by administrators at healthcare providers, agencies, insurance companies and other areas of the burgeoning healthcare field. The addition of an MBA concentration in quality management is especially timely, given the nationwide push to improve the quality of hospital care by reducing medical errors and preventing infections.According to Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowitz, no other business school on Long Island has aligned itself with a hospital or health system to offer such programs. "These two programs are especially valuable in that they combine an advanced graduate-level overview of business with the specific requirements of the healthcare field," he said.North Shore-LIJ Health System President and CEO Michael Dowling, said, "We're continually faced with a philosophical question regarding the nature of healthcare. Is it a business or a service? The truth is, it's both. "In the past decade, the tremendous change that has occurred in the industry has caused healthcare institutions to re-think the way they deliver services. Healthcare executives need to have the skill sets to address both the service and business dynamic, while also establishing an organizational culture in which patient safety is centermost in all business and policy decisions."Graduate business education in the areas of accounting, finance, management and operations, computerization, marketing and quality management has become essential in the healthcare industry. Hofstra's MBA in quality management provides a balance between theoretical improvement and actual practice (guest lectures, case students and internships). The MBA in health services management focuses on the latest developments in the healthcare industry, and their legal, ethical and economic implications. For these newest MBAs, the Zarb School will partner with Hofstra's School of Education and Allied Human Services' graduate Master of Health Administration program to offer four required core courses - U.S. Health Services, Health Policy and Legislation, Health Economics and Health Systems Finance. Hofstra University is accepting applicants for the September class of these new MBA programs. For information, applicants are encouraged to call (516) 463-5683.
L.I. Jewish invests in energy improvements
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority has partnered with the Long Island Jewish Medical Center and the engineering firm of Flack & Kurtz Inc. on a $6.2 million project to improve energy efficiency at the medical center's 48-acre campus. NYSERDA will provide about $1.75 million to help LIJMC replace cooling equipment, including three 750-ton, high-pressure absorption chillers. LIJMC is expected to save roughly $300,000 in annual utility costs.NYSERDA President William Flynn, said, "As one of the most esteemed, non-profit teaching hospitals in the state, Long Island Jewish Medical Center is taking a cost-effective approach to keeping its operating costs low through energy efficiency, while also improving conditions for both patients and staff. "This project, as well as hundreds of other NYSERDA-sponsored projects, support Governor Pataki's plan to strengthen New York's economy by helping businesses, institutions and consumers save money by reducing their energy use."According to Paul Hochenberg, executive director at LIJ Medical Center, the new energy center will power the major reconstruction projects planned for LIJ Hospital, Schneider Children's Hospital and The Zucker Hillside Hospital.The new chillers will help provide cooling to more than one million square feet of buildings at LIJMC. Flack & Kurtz Inc., acting as the energy service company for this project, will be instrumental in the installation and start-up of the new equipment. As a result of the upgrades, LIJMC is expected to avoid adding more than 7.2 million kWh annually to the State's electricity grid, which is enough electricity to power more than1200 homes for a year. This project was done through NYSERDA's Commercial/Industrial Performance Program, which provides financial incentives to energy service companies and engineering firms that work with municipal, industrial, and commercial utility customers to identify and implement energy-saving strategies. The incentives, combined with the energy savings, help to pay for the capital improvements. The level of incentives that NYSERDA provides depends on the level of energy savings achieved in a given project as well as the types of efficiency measures implemented.Funding for this project came from NYSERDA's New York Energy $martSM program, which is designed to lower electricity costs by encouraging energy efficiency as the State's electric utilities move to competition. The programs are available to all electric distribution customers (residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial) of Central Hudson, Con Edison, NYSEG, Niagara Mohawk, Orange and Rockland, and Rochester Gas and Electric. Additional information about these programs can be obtained at www.nyserda.org or 1-866-NYSERDA.
