An Additional New Committee Member!

We are very pleased to announce that Sister Constance Veit, lsp has also been appointed to our advisory committee!!! Sister Constance is a student in our Master of Health Administration program. She brings a great deal of experience in healthcare to the committee, but she also brings the student perspective!

Sister Constance Veit discovered her love for the elderly as a high school volunteer with the Little Sisters of the Poor in Latham, NY. After graduating from Boston University’s Sargent College of Allied Health Professions with a B.S. in occupational therapy in 1984, she entered the community and made her profession as a Little Sister in 1987. For the past twenty years she has served in various capacities in the homes for the aged administered by her Congregation throughout the United States and in Paris, France. From 1994–2001 she served as editor of her community’s magazine, Serenity. She then served on the Provincial Council of the Chicago province, which covers homes from Kentucky to California, from 2001–2005. After that she returned to the direct care of the elderly, supervising a 36-bed nursing unit, the activities program and a flourishing youth volunteer program at Our Lady of Hope Residence in Latham, NY. She is currently enrolled in the Masters in Health Care Administration program at St Joseph’s College and in November 2008 returned to her position in the Little Sisters’ Publications Office in Baltimore, MD.

The Little Sisters of the Poor are an international Congregation of women religious serving the needy elderly in 32 countries around the world. The Congregation administers 30 homes in the United States.

Joint us in welcoming Sister Constance!! We are very pleased to have her working with us to ensure our programs are of the highest quality!

Interview with John Pratt

Gary Tetz interviewed John Pratt for an article in the Long-Term Living Journal. It has some interesting bits of information! Check it out by clicking on the title above!

Changes in Health Administration at SJC

As you may know, there have been a number of changes here at Saint Joseph's College of Maine recently.

Dr. Joseph Lee has accepted the position of President of the college and will be inaugurated later this month. We look forward to working with Dr. Lee!

In the Health Administration programs we continue to work to ensure the quality of our programs. We are particularly excited about some new developments with our Master of Health Administration program. We are planning to develop a specialization in Catholic healthcare leadership, recognizing that many Catholic health organizations are working to strengthen their Catholic foundation. We have also applied for membership to the US Catholic Health Association. We're very excited about the opportunities this affords us to combine our expertise in equipping and supporting healthcare leaders with our Catholic heritage, to meet the needs of the profession.

We are already making plans for summer 2009 and intend to offer a greater variety of hybrid courses, as well as hosting another symposium. The symposium was very popular this past summer and we anticipate it will be even better next year! If you have ideas for topics for this event, please comment to this post. We would love to hear from you!

We will let you know as we progress!

Summer Hybrid Courses a Hit

During the past year, GPS eliminated the requirement that students attend an on-campus summer residency session. That presented a challenge for us to find ways to get students to come to campus voluntarily. One way we did that was to create several hybrid courses that combined online and in-class segments. We offered six such courses. They included four weeks of online course work, a one-week session on campus, and a final week online.

These courses were a great success, with students commenting very favorably about the flexibility offered by the hybrid courses.

Meetings have already been held to review the overall 2008 summer programming and to begin to plan for 2009. While we still do not know the final format or timing, we are sure some type of hybrid courses will be offered. We are also looking at other course options.

SJC Health Administration Symposium 2008

The Graduate and Professional Studies division of Saint Joseph’s College of Maine held its first annual symposium for health administration professionals July 15th through 19th this year. The focus of the symposium was “Managing the Business of Healthcare.” The event was unique in that it was designed for both students wishing to gain academic credit (undergraduate and graduate) and others who attended the sessions for continuing education credit.

This exciting event brought together a national panel of experts to discuss a variety of subjects relevant to the success of healthcare organizations. Specific topics included ethics and advocacy, improving physician/hospital relations, the challenges of developing and maintaining interdisciplinary teams, an analysis of changing trends in health care, and more – a total of ten sessions.

Thirty individuals participated in the symposium in addition to the presenters. The participants were very active and each session was vibrant with exchanges of ideas and experiences! While there was general acknowledgement that the larger national health system issues could not be solved in that venue, there was a great deal of energy around initiating improvements in each person’s scope of influence, resulting in benefits to the larger system.

Michelle Sinclair’s comments reflected that of many of the participants when she stated, “overall I thought the entire program was excellent. It was an opportunity to network with people from all over country and from different disciplines as well as the instructors and the experts in their fields. I feel much more informed as to the latest trends and issues affecting healthcare and I know we just reached the tip of the iceberg. The seminar left me wanting more! Thank you to all of you who organized, coordinated, developed and presented the symposium. I'm looking forward to next year.”

The college plans to host this event annually and will engage experts on a variety of current topics each year. The symposium is open to all individuals working with or interested in healthcare. Most participants stayed on campus and enjoyed dining in the café, networking with others and participating in other on-campus events during their stay.

Jean & Stephen Szilagyi are honored!

On July 8, 2008 the Ambassador of the Ukraine, Oleh Shamshur, presented Dr. Stephen Szilagyi with the order “For Merits” III degree, awarded by the President of Ukraine for significant personal contribution to the strengthening of Ukraine’s authority in the world, promotion of its history and cultural heritage.

Dr. Szilagyi is founder and Executive Director of SARA (Sharing America's Resources Abroad) – a non-profit organization which has been supplying medical equipment and expertise to Ukraine.
Stephen Szilagyi assists physicians from Ukraine to come to the United States to receive additional medical and surgical training to provide improved health care in hospitals back in Ukraine. He has been very active in helping to establish long-term cooperation between the medical institutions of the two countries.

Dr. Szilagyi's wife and partner in SARA is our very own Jean Szilagyi, adjunct instructor for Long-Term Care Laws & Regulations. Jean is also a graduate of SJC! We are very proud of their efforts to bring health care services to areas of the world in which they are not otherwise available. It is an honor to be associated with them.

Long Term Care Educator Receives National Award

Reston, VA, June 8, 2008 – John R. Pratt, FACHCA, professor of Health Administration at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish, Maine and Director of the Long-Term Care Management Institute at the College, was honored with the 2008 Education Award by the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) at its 2008 Convocation in Covington, Kentucky on May 18. This annual award recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to education in long term care.
Having served as a health care administrator for twenty-five years before joining academia, Pratt brings a broad range of knowledge and experience to his role of educator. He is author of a textbook, Long-Term Care: Managing across the Continuum, now in its second edition. In 2008, Pratt developed and taught the highly-rated and innovative workshop Leadership Skills for Long-Term Care Administrators, which was hosted by the New England Alliance of ACHCA. “John is exceptionally deserving of this honor,” commented Stephen Esdale, chair of the ACHCA Board of Directors. “His unique perspective and creative approach to education has made him one of the leaders in our field.”
Founded in 1962, the American College of Health Care Administrators is the only professional association devoted solely to meeting the professional needs of today's long-term care administrator and executive. The College's mission focuses on advancing leadership excellence in long term care through the provision of leadership education, promotion of professional advancement programs such as Fellowship and professional Certification, and facilitation of leadership development. The College’s diverse membership includes administrators across the continuum of long-term care and senior housing.
For more information about The College, call the National Office at (703) 739-7900, visit www.achca.org, or email mailto:ccandrews@achca.org.

Class of 2008 Graduates!

We are pleased to announce that 114 students have completed health administration program degrees and are proceeding to graduation! Of these 75 students have earned a Master of Health Administration degree, six have earned Bachelors degrees in Long-Term Care Administration, one in Radiologic Science Administration and 32 in Health Care Administration!

Congratulations to each of you! We are very proud and we welcome you as alumni!

New "Get Connected" Feature on Web Site

We are pleased to announce an exciting new feature on the Saint Joseph’s College website www.sjcme.edu/gps.

It is called “Get Connected”. Although it can be found on the Current Students page, it is available to anyone.

In this section, you can:

• Read the SJC Magazine
• Buy SJC merchandise
• Read the SJC student newspaper
• Attend a summer session
• Tell us your stories and send us your pictures
• Make a gift

This new initiative is another way we are trying to help you to remain connected to your college! We hope you will take advantage of it.

We especially would like students and graduates to “Tell us your stories and send us your pictures” and let us – and your fellow students and graduates – know more about you and what you are doing. We would also like to hear any comments or suggestions you have about this or any other section of our web site.

New Advisory Board Member

We are pleased to announce that Steve Chies has agreed to become an advisory board member for the health administration programs at Saint Joseph's College of Maine/Division of Graduate and Professional Studies!

Steven currently serves as Senior Vice President for Operations at the Benedictine Health System Corporate Office in Cambridge, Minnesota. In his role at BHS, he is responsible for operations at 60 long-term care facilities.

Mr. Chies has an extensive background in the healthcare field. Prior to joining the Benedictine Health System, Mr. Chies served as an administrator at Park River Estates Care Center for 21 years where he had overall responsibility for the operation of a skilled nursing facility. He also was district director for U.S. Congressman Gerry Sikorski.

In addition, Mr. Chies served as the president of Care Paradigms Management, Inc. and president of North Cities HealthCare, Inc. Active in professional and community organizations, Mr. Chies has served as a member of the board of directors and president for Care Providers of Minnesota, and has recently served as Chairman of the American Health Care Association. He is also a past chair and officer for the National Association of Boards of Examiners of Long Term Care Administrators.

Steve is also a past treasurer of the Long Term Care Foundation and is a past officer for the Anoka Country Division of the Minnesota Affiliate of the American Heart Association. He has presented at many national and regional meetings as well as a guest lecturer at several colleges and universities.

Mr. Chies is a graduate of the University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts and attended the Long Term Care Administration program also at the University of Minnesota.
Areas of Expertise:
· Long Term Care Payment Systems
· Organizational Management
· Strategic Positioning

Summer Session in Maine

It is nearly time to register for our summer programs for 2008!!!

We are offering traditional 2-week summer courses during summer session 1 (June 9th to 20th).

During summer session 2 we are offering two options that are brand new!!! During the first week (July 15th through 19th), we will be holding a health care symposium that will bring together experts in the various areas of the business of health care. We are offering ten 3-hour sessions that will provide important information and opportunities for health care administrators. The symposium may be attended for 3 credits in either HA 401 or HA 685 (Special Topics) or it may be attended for continuing education credits.

We are also offering some hybrid courses that will include one week on campus during summer session 2 (July 21st through 25th). The hybrid courses include five weeks of online work with just one week on campus. The hybrid course offers a terrific opportunity to take only one week away from your busy life to come to campus but still complete a 3 credit course.

These summer offerings provide an opportunity to significantly accelerate your program completion!! It would be possible to take two courses in summer session 1 (6 credits), as well as attending the symposium (3 credits) and taking hybrid course (3 credits) for a total of 12 credits earned over the summer and you would only need to be on campus for two 2-week periods.

These options also offer a great opportunity to build a network of peers, meet your instructors and advisors, experience the campus and allow you to spend time on beautiful Sebago Lake!!

Registration begins March 17th!! You will be able to register on-line at our new web site.

If you have not visited the web site lately, you will want to see the amazing changes we’ve made!!

New Web Pages

After seemingly endless effort and time spent by a lot of people, the GPS web site has been upgraded. Many thanks to Colleen Cunningham of GPS and Brent Wooten and Travis Soule of the SJC marketing department for getting this done so well.

The URL hasn't changed. It's still www.sjcme.edu/gps. Take a look at it . We think you'll like the changes. It is much more attractive and easy to navigate. We would also appreciate any feedback.

Managing the Business of Healthcare

Saint Joseph’s College of Maine is pleased to announce our first annual
Symposium for Health Administration Professionals.

Managing the Business of Healthcare

The last fifty years have been a period of dynamic growth, evolution and change perception and roles of healthcare. The reality is that, in order to be successful two important facts needs to be understood and accepted: (1) healthcare is a business and should be managed as a business; and (2) there is an emerging trend of patients transforming themselves into consumers of healthcare. Through a series of workshops, special, focused topics relevant to these two concepts will be discussed under the guidance of experts in the field.

JOIN US!
Students, graduates, and anyone else interested in the business of health care administration is welcome to attend. The dates of the symposium are Tuesday, July 15th through Saturday, July 19th. The sessions will be scheduled for three hours each in the morning and afternoon each of those days.

The general learning objectives are to equip participants to:

1. Better understand human behavior in organizations.
2. Apply ethical principles to real health care situations.
3. Prepare your organization for providing health care to the baby boomers.
4. Employ new leadership models as organization culture changes.
5. Analyze changing health care trends and service delivery models.
6. Construct positive physician/hospital relationships.
7. Build and manage effective interdisciplinary teams.
8. Prepare your organization for disaster and/or pandemic events.
9. Identify relevant constructs for applying health information system technology in LTC systems.
10. Discuss the differing administrative needs of nursing directors and health care administrators.

For more information, please visit our web site:

http://www.sjcme.edu/gps/summer/healthsymposium.htm

Press Release

For Immediate Release:
Standish, Maine
January 8, 2008

Saint Joseph’s College Of Maine
Long-Term Care Administration Programs Accredited

Two programs at Saint Joseph’s College of Maine have been granted accreditation by the National Association of Boards of Examiners of Long-Term Care Administrators NAB). The undergraduate Long-Term Care Administration (LTCA) program, which had been accredited twice before, received an additional five-year accreditation, while the Master of Health Administration (MHA) program received initial accreditation. Only a select group of such programs has been accredited to date, and the Saint Joseph’s programs are the only accredited ones delivered through distance education. Also, Saint Joseph’s College is the only institution with both undergraduate and graduate programs accredited by NAB.
“The accreditation provides national recognition of our programs’ quality and means that many state nursing home administrator licensing boards will automatically accept the Saint Joseph’s programs as meeting their licensure requirements,” said John Pratt, Director of the Long-Term Care Management Institute at Saint Joseph’s.
“It shows that we have met stringent criteria for top quality education and training of long-term care administrators,” he added. “To achieve it, we had to provide a great deal of information about our curriculum, faculty, and students, culminating in a two-day site visit last June,” Pratt stated.
The accreditation site team called the programs “excellent” and particularly noted the excellence of the faculty, quality of the curriculum, state-of-the art online technology, and the programs’ advisory board. They called the programs “important for the profession” and “an excellent model for distance education programs to follow.”
The college’s Division of Graduate and Professional Studies offers a bachelor’s degree program in long-term care administration with specialty tracks in nursing home administration and assisted living administration, a certificate program in long-term care administration and a Master’s degree in health administration as well as unrelated degrees.

For more information, visit www.sjcme.edu/gps.