MASSAGE IS THE MESSAGE! New York College of Health Professions Opens Massage School in Hot New Lower Manhattan Location

NEW YORK, Aug. 23, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- New York College of Health Professions, a private institutionally accredited college based in Syosset, N.Y., with a facility in Luo Yang, China, today announced the opening of its second Manhattan location at the University Settlement on Houston Street and Bowery in downtown New York. The new site will offer the College's accredited educational programs in holistic health, including Massage Therapy, Acupuncture, Oriental Medicine and Holistic Nursing. This Soho/Chinatown site quickly followed the opening of the College's first Manhattan location at The Riverside Church in Morningside Heights, near Columbia University, Barnard and the City University. The two new sites will be open for Fall classes. New York College is the only private institutionally accredited college of its kind in the New York Metropolitan area.

"The field of holistic health is one of the hottest growing fields in health care, and with that demand there is a greater need for non-profit colleges to provide high quality education in this area," said Lisa Pamintuan, president of New York College of Health Professions. "Bloomberg Businessweek rated Massage Therapy as the number one career for 2011."

"We are excited to join the thriving community of Soho/Chinatown and the Lower East Side. We are the first institutionally accredited College to open in the neighborhood and we look forward to serving the community, and to working with students who want to learn about the rapidly expanding fields of Massage Therapy, Acupuncture, Oriental Medicine and Holistic Nursing, and who now will have access to us on Houston Street," Pamintuan added.

Entry level Associate degree programs start with Massage Therapy, which can be completed in as little as 16 months. Graduates become licensed health care professionals in the growing field of holistic health care. Students can attend full-time in as little as two days per week; and can schedule classes for day, evenings or weekends. If qualified, students may receive financial aid that will not only cover their tuition, but with grants and loans, they can have funds to live on while being educated to enter the exciting and fulfilling field of health care.

New York College of Health Professions was the first institution of higher learning in the United States to offer a Bachelors degree in therapeutic bodywork, as well as the first in New York State approved to offer a degree in Massage Therapy. The College provides a broad range of educational programs and training – Associate, Bachelors and Masters Degrees as well as Certificate programs and Continuing Education.

New York College is the only national institutionally accredited private college of its kind in the New York Metropolitan area, and is bridging the gap between Eastern and Western medicine. Having institutional accreditation means students can have many choices for pathway programs in health care. Graduates from the College may enter into other programs in the health industry or practice once licensed. For students who want graduate degrees, New York College offers those in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.

The site at the University Settlement is located in the hot downtown hub and is an easy commute from Brooklyn and Queens, as well as Manhattan. The University Settlement also houses classrooms for NYU and Cooper Union, among other non-profit organizations.

"We are thrilled to welcome New York College and its students to this University Settlement site, where the mission of health and preventative activities are at the core of our services to the community," says Susan Haskell, Director of University Settlement at the Houston Street Center.  

The College's main campus is in Syosset, Long Island, and its graduates are sought out because of the institution's worldwide reputation for excellence. The College, a non-profit pioneer in Holistic Health for 30 years is on the forefront of holistic health and preventative medicine. In addition to being one of the premier institutions in the world in its field for higher education, the institution also has a portfolio of patents for everything from Acupressure Clothing to Ultraviolet LED's that can kill airborne bacteria as air re-circulates in the vents of planes, trains and buses.

Several years ago the College introduced a retraining program for nurses at Bellevue Hospital, and has also worked with Beth Israel, Flushing Hospital and the North Shore/ Long Island Jewish Health System. The new sites in Manhattan will greatly accelerate this process. In addition to its Luo Yang facility in China, it is also working with the Ministry of Education in Henan Province, China, to build a relationship with one of the province's major medical and nursing schools.

About New York College of Health Professions

Chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, New York College of Health Professions, located in Syosset, Long Island, with sites in New York City New York, offers institutionally accredited undergraduate and graduate-level degree programs in Massage Therapy, Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and Certificate programs in Holistic Nursing for Registered Nurses and the Science of Self Improvement. New York College maintains a 35-acre modern medical facility in Luo Yang, The People's Republic of China. The College has grown remarkably in the past several years and will continue to develop new educational programs as well as expand into many new areas. For more information about New York College of Health Professions visit www.NYCollege.edu.

ABOUT UNIVERSITY SETTLEMENT HOUSTON STREET CENTER

Launching the settlement house movement in America 125 years ago, University Settlement continues to set the standard with integrated programs for the whole family in early childhood education, youth development, after-school programming, adult education, mental health, older adults programming, arts education, community building, crisis intervention and homelessness prevention.  Our Houston Street Center location provides a unique resource to the community with state-of-the-art recreational and education facilities including a cardio center, gymnasium and competition-sized swimming pool. From swimming and fitness programs, to dynamic after-school and older adult programs, to free community events, this 44,000 square-foot center provides services for people of all ages.

SOURCE New York College of Health Professions