Accreditation

In April, the first-graders from Daisy Troop 2484, out of West Friendship Elementary School, earned their Orange Learning Petal by studying ways in which they can act responsibly. They underscored the lesson with a trip to Triadelphia Veterinary Clinic in Glenelg, where they met with Dr. Susan Oltman. Oltman discussed the importance of proper diet and exercise for pets, and she showed the girls her surgery room and some X-rays. The troop had a memorable visit, including what student Gracie Hargrove called the best part — getting to see a lizard.

In April, the first-graders from Daisy Troop 2484, out of West Friendship Elementary School, earned their Orange Learning Petal by studying ways in which they can act responsibly. They underscored the lesson with a trip to Triadelphia Veterinary Clinic in Glenelg, where they met with Dr. Susan Oltman. Oltman discussed the importance of proper diet and exercise for pets, and she showed the girls her surgery room and some X-rays. The troop had a memorable visit, including what student Gracie Hargrove called the best part — getting to see a lizard.

Baltimore International College plans to issue a statement Thursday about the future of the institution because the school is expected to lose its accreditation. According to a statement on the college's Facebook page, the school's "Board of Trustees met to seriously review all options for the College while keeping in mind the welfare of our students, faculty, and staff. " The trustees were expected to weigh whether to appeal the Middle States Commission on Higher Education' decision not to accredit BIC as well as other alternatives.

Maryland health officials may ask state lawmakers for permission to oversee plastic surgery centers, a move inspired in part by the death of a Lochearn woman after liposuction. The state health department had already been considering whether to ask for a change to the legal definition of free-standing surgery centers to align regulations with medical risk instead of insurance billing practices, Secretary Joshua Sharfstein said. Surgical centers currently are subject to state inspection only if they meet certain criteria in how they bill insurance companies, he said.

Pimlico Race Course was given a stamp of approval Monday by an industry group after taking steps to conform with the group's standards related to drug testing and other procedures. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association said Pimlico has been fully accredited by its Safety and Integrity Alliance. NTRA — which promotes safety at tracks around the nation — said Pimlico, the site of Saturday's Preakness, is the 17th course to be accredited. Others include Churchill Downs and Belmont Park, home of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes, respectively.

Harbor Hospital Center recently was awarded a three-year Certificateof Accreditation by th Joint Commission of Healthcare Organizations.The JCAHO accreditation recognizes the hospital's outstanding efforts to provide quality health care.JCAHO evaluated Harbor Hospital recently and pointed out some of the strengths and ways to improve procedures and management systems.Accreditation is important for the hospital to qualify for participation in various professional internship, residency, and continuing education programs and to facilitate reimbursement from insurance companies and other organizations and agencies.

Baltimore International College will file a "request for reconsideration" with the Middle States Commission, the agency that is taking away the college's accreditation Aug. 31. The request asks that about 100 students who are close to completing a culinary or hospitality degree be allowed to complete the work this fall. The remaining students would be given the opportunity to finish at an accredited institution that would merge with BIC. The college said Monday that it "is in conversation" with two out-of-state institutions about a merger.

Confidence in the outcome didn't absolve Carroll Community College from the work involved in gaining full accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, President Joseph F. Shields said as he announced the completion of the process."

In an attempt to deal with abuses in college sports, the accrediting agency for colleges and universities in the South has drafted new rules that would link academic accreditation with the integrity of an institution's sports programs.If adopted, the rules would add a potentially powerful weapon in policing college sports. A college that loses its accreditation faces crippling consequences, including a cutoff of federal financial aid to its students.Although the loss of accreditation would be a last-resort measure, used only in the most egregious situations, the proposal would add a new and serious layer of scrutiny to college athletics.

SYKESVILLE - A nationwide agency has given Springfield Hospital Center the accreditation it lost nine years ago, but one mental health advocate said she hopes the state hiring freeze doesn't jeopardize the new standing."

Contrary to a recent letter criticizing the American Correctional Association's role in accrediting Maryland's prisons, the cost of ACA accreditation - approximately $12,000 over a three-year period - is an investment that will surely benefit Maryland ("Prison watchdog group is a waste of money," Feb. 21). The association sends nationally known experts from across the country to audit our prisons. It is already in two of our largest institutions, the Western Correctional Institution and Eastern Correctional Institution.

Maryland will soon be home to a new university — one in which students can train in acupuncture, Chinese herbs and other forms of integrative medicine. The Tai Sophia Institute, a Howard County holistic health training center, has received state accreditation and will be renamed the Maryland University of Integrative Health, school officials announced Monday. The school plans to nearly triple its student body, begin granting doctorates in acupuncture and other healing techniques, and bolster its reputation nationally and internationally, said its provost, Judith Broida.

Maryland officials plan to announce this week whether the state will sever ties with the state's second-largest foster care provider, a decision that also could determine whether the company keeps its contract in the District of Columbia. Officials with the Maryland Department of Human Resources, the agency charged with protecting the state's 7,400 foster children, is expected to announce a decision on renewing the license for Contemporary Family Services. The Hyattsville company's contract in D.C. depends on it retaining its Maryland license, according to officials with the District of Columbia's Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services.

Carolane Williams does not flinch when confronted with the particulars of her difficult year, which included an employee uprising and unwanted scrutiny from the leader of the state. "I knew I was going to have to tough it out," says the woman who has led Baltimore City Community College for the past five years. She regards the backlash as a natural byproduct of bold leadership, though others have accused her of pressing ahead on questionable decisions without regard for useful input.

I read the article "City police shuffle ranks, seek national accreditation" (Dec. 31) with a vested interest as a retired Baltimore City police officer. The awarding of "accreditation" for police agencies is not a new concept and existed well before my own retirement, some 16 years ago. The process of being certified as an accredited agency is exhaustive and covers literally every function within the department. To prepare the agency for this certification is a labor- and time-intensive undertaking, involving participation at all levels.

Virginia's Stratford University has received preliminary approval from the Maryland Higher Education Commission to take over operations of embattled Baltimore International College on Jan. 1. The approval from MHEC was one condition of a legal settlement reached in September that forestalled the culinary college's loss of accreditation. Now, the takeover must be approved by the agency that accredits Stratford and by the banks that hold bonds backing Baltimore International's operations.

A year after giving the Maryland Insurance Administration a failing grade for policing the industry it is charged with overseeing, a national regulatory association is recommending accreditation of the state agency in light of what appears to be a remarkable turnaround.A team from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) ended a weeklong inspection of the state agency in Baltimore last week by recommending that the Maryland agency be approved for accreditation when the national body meets this fall.

Baltimore International College has reached a legal settlement that will allow it to remain accredited until the end of the year, when officials expect the downtown culinary college to be taken over by Virginia-based Stratford University. Baltimore International College has reached a legal settlement that will allow it to remain accredited until the end of the year, when officials expect the downtown culinary school to be taken over by Virginia-based Stratford University. The settlement ended a court battle between Baltimore International and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which planned to strip the college of its accreditation at the end of August — a move that could have forced the school to close.