MIAMI, Oct. 28, 2009 – Miami Dade College has established a new advocacy group devoted to health research and information management and will celebrate with a kickoff event at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009 at the Medical Center Campus. The Institute for Health Informatics at MDC will be used to incorporate electronic health record systems (EHRs) and other health information technologies into the college curriculum.

The Institute will also seek to educate and inform the healthcare community who are looking to incorporate EHRs into their practice. The celebration will bring together local physicians, hospital administrators, and other industry leaders who will provide information on implementing EHRs.

According to Dr. Anita Kaplan, president of MDC’s Medical Center Campus, the Institute was established with the goal of providing new opportunities for careers in health care as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

“The stimulus plan calls for billions of dollars to be spent to help hospitals and doctors’ offices improve health care through the implementation of EHRs,” said Dr. Kaplan. “We believe these new systems will create a tremendous need for well-trained professionals to evaluate, design, and to support these systems. We also feel that every graduating health care professional will need to be familiar with EHRs in order to be competitive.”

For more information about the Institute for Health Informatics kick-off, contact Mark Nestor, 305-237-4452 or [email protected].