Jan. 11, 2023 (Middletown, Conn.) — Middlesex Community College is pleased to announce that Tomiko Case (Stratford, Conn.), has been honored as one of 15 health information students in the country to win a 2022 college scholarship from the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) Foundation, the national nonprofit organization and philanthropic arm of AHIMA dedicated to empowering people with health information literacy to achieve better health outcomes.
Case is pursuing an associate degree in health information management at the college. She will receive a $3,000 scholarship—commensurate with the cost of an entire course.
“As future health information professionals, we need to find ways to help all ages and generations become literate in digital health,” wrote Case in her scholarship essay. “In my experience, many geriatric patients like my grandmother are unable to access electronic health records and tools like MyChart on their own. I am hopeful we can pave a way for those who are less equipped to access their digital health information more independently.”
“Middlesex Community College is home to the only CAHIIM-accredited associate degree program in health information technology in Connecticut. The program offers online courses to make it accessible to students across the state. Our graduates are eligible to sit for the AHIMA Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT) certification exam, and they are in demand with healthcare employers in our region,” said Jill Flanigan, professor and program coordinator for health information technology program.
“We congratulate the recipients of AHIMA Foundation’s 2022 scholarship program and send our gratitude to our generous donors and volunteers for making this program possible annually,” added Anisa Tootla, executive director of the AHIMA Foundation.
AHIMA Foundation has a storied history of providing financial assistance for aspiring and currently enrolled outstanding health information professionals pursuing academic degrees in health information.
Middlesex Community College is among 12 community colleges in Connecticut merging in 2023 to become CT State Community College, one of the largest community colleges in the country and largest in New England, dedicated to quality, access, and affordability. CT State students will be able to apply once and take classes at any campus. In addition to Middlesex (Middletown & Meriden), other locations include Asnuntuck (Enfield), Capital (Hartford), Gateway (New Haven & North Haven), Housatonic (Bridgeport), Manchester, Naugatuck Valley (Danbury & Waterbury), Northwestern Connecticut (Winsted), Norwalk, Quinebaug Valley (Danielson & Willimantic), Three Rivers (Norwich) and Tunxis (Farmington) Community Colleges.
AHIMA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and philanthropic arm of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) dedicated to empowering people with health information literacy to achieve better health outcomes. Founded in 1962, AHIMA Foundation programs, research, and projects help families make informed health decisions, guide evidence-based healthcare system policies and practices, and educate and train aspiring and current health information professionals. Recognizing that health information is human information, AHIMA Foundation works extensively to convene interdisciplinary stakeholders to identify unmet public health and education needs.