CUNY Master Plan 2012-2016

MISSION PART FOUR
Associate (CDA) credential and will now begin teaching the courses and move to increase the number of
CDAs earned by assistant teachers in Head Start programs and other early childhood centers. This will
enable individuals to move into compliance with federal regulations and provide the college-based foundation
for individuals who can then build their careers and advance through the system.
The PDI has been responsible for building and operating the workforce development system for the
state now known as New York Works for Children. Components include a competency-based Core Body
of Knowledge, Early Learning Guidelines, and a statewide workforce registry. PDI will launch New York
Works for Children in the next year and continue to establish it over the next five years. For the first time,
the city and state (and higher education) will have systems that are able to track and analyze the earlychildhood
workforce. This ability will enable the field to introduce higher expectations, more effective
teacher preparation and professional development, and assess accountability. It will also contribute
essential data to inform the improvement of current public policy and the development of new policy.
Health Care
Health care employment is a leading economic engine in New York. In 2009, employment in this sector
constituted nearly 12 percent of all employment in the state. In New York City alone, there are more than
420,000 health sector jobs, including about 365,000 in the private sector and 55,000 in the public sector.
Each year, through its network of over 150 degree programs in the health professions, CUNY prepares
a large pool of highly qualified, culturally diverse personnel who are dedicated to providing quality health
care services to all New Yorkers. Thirteen CUNY colleges offer nursing programs with degrees ranging
from the Licensed Practical Nursing certificate through the Doctor of Nursing Science and the Doctor of
Nursing Practice degrees. CUNY colleges also offer programs in environmental health, biomedical science,
chemical dependency counseling, community health and urban public health, dental hygiene, exercise
science, health care administration, health education, health information technology, occupational
therapy, and physical therapy, as well as other health professions such as respiratory therapy, radiologic
technology, surgical technology, and a host of others. Indeed, the health care industry relies heavily on
CUNY to provide the workforce it needs.
The health care industry is going through enormous change. Passage of federal health reform legislation
and implementation of New York’s Medicaid Redesign plan are accelerating changes in the health
care delivery system. Changes expected between 2012 and 2016 include:
• A trend toward community-based services;
• Care coordination among multiple providers and transitions across care settings;
• A multi-disciplinary team approach;
• Incorporation of technologies such as electronic health records.
The future health care delivery system will thus be more focused on primary and preventive care, with
a greater emphasis on effective management of chronic diseases. The success of all of these reforms will
ultimately depend on the adequacy of the workforce.
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