HRSA Awards $31.4 Million to Expand Use of Health Information Technology at Health Centers

	U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Health Resources and Services Administration HRSA NEWS ROOM http://newsroom.hrsa.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 27, 2007

CONTACT: HRSA PRESS OFFICE
301-443-3376

HRSA Awards $31.4 Million to Expand Use of
Health Information Technology at Health Centers

HRSA Administrator Elizabeth M. Duke today announced $31.4 million in grants to help health centers prepare to adopt and implement Electronic Health Records (EHR) and other health information technology (HIT) innovations.

EHRs, critical tools in improving the quality of care, provide health care professionals the ability to monitor and analyze health information for their patients. EHRs are widely considered to be essential in improving the safety and quality of health care delivery and cutting waste and duplication of care.

“The funds we’re announcing today are vital for reaching the President’s goal of adoption of electronic health records for most Americans by 2014,” HRSA Administrator Elizabeth M. Duke said. “Health information technology has the potential to revolutionize health care, especially for residents of underserved communities, and its expansion is a priority for HRSA.”

Included in Duke’s announcement today are:

Twenty-five grants totaling more than $27 million to support implementation of EHRs at health centers and in networks that link multiple health center grantees. These grants are found below in two tables: the Electronic Health Record Implementation Initiative, and the High Impact - Electronic Health Record Implementation Initiative.

Eight grants worth almost $1 million to help health centers in planning activities that will prepare them to adopt EHR or other HIT innovations.

Thirteen grants worth more than $3 million to help health center networks implement HIT other than electronic health records. Other HIT advances may include electronic prescribing, physician order entry, personal health records, community health records, health information exchanges, smart cards, and creating interoperability with outside partners such as health departments and other HRSA grantees.

HRSA’s Office of Health Information Technology, created in 2005, is charged with developing an agency-wide HIT strategy that benefits safety-net providers and responds to the needs of the uninsured, underserved and special-needs populations.

The list of grant recipients follows:

Electronic Health Record Implementation Initiative
(Effective September 1, 2007)

*Organization*	*City*	*State*	*Amount*
Redwood Community Health Coalition	Santa Rosa	Calif.	$750,000
Henrietta Johnson Medical Center	Wilmington	Del.	$460,468
Health Choice Network Inc.	Miami	Fla.	$750,000
Northern Minnesota Network	Isanti	Minn.	$750,000
Community Health Care Association of NY	New York	N.Y.	$750,000
Oregon Community Health Information Network Inc.	Portland	Ore.	$750,000
Blackstone Valley Community Health Care	Pawtucket	R.I.	$750,000
Wasatch Homeless Health Care Inc.	Salt Lake City	Utah	$495,000
Total: $5,455,468

High Impact - Electronic Health Record Implementation Initiative
(Effective September 1, 2007)

*Organization*	*City*	*State*	*Amount*
Birmingham Health Care Inc.	Birmingham	Ala.	$1,400,000
Unity Health Care Inc.	Washington	D.C.	$1,400,000
Community Health Centers Alliance Inc.	St. Petersburg	Fla.	$1,343,975
Georgia Association for Primary Health Care	Decatur	Ga.	$1,400,000
Access Community Health Network	Chicago	Ill.	$1,400,000
Near North Health Service Corporation	Chicago	Ill.	$1,399,926
Community Health Integrated Partnership Inc.	Glen Burnie	Md.	$1,400,000
Voices of Detroit Initiative	Detroit	Mich.	$817,130
Coastal Family Health Center Inc.	Biloxi	Miss.	$1,398,902
Nevada Health Centers Inc.	Carson City	Nev.	$1,400,000
Charles B. Wang Community Health Center Inc.	New York	N.Y.	$1,400,000
Greene County Health Care Inc.	Snow Hill	N.C.	$799,043
Ohio Shared Information Services	Cincinnati	Ohio	$1,387,500
Oregon Community Health Information Network Inc.	Portland	Ore.	$1,400,000
Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems Inc.	Saltville	Va.	$1,400,000
PTSO of Washington	Seattle	Wash.	$582,752
Sea-Mar Community Health Center	Seattle	Wash.	$1,400,000
Total: $21,729,228

Health Information Technology Planning Grants
(Effective September 1, 2007)

*Organization*	*City*	*State*	*Amount*
South Central Family Health Center	Los Angeles	Calif.	$125,000
Asian Health Services	Oakland	Calif.	$125,000
Clinicas Del Camino Real Inc.	Ventura	Calif.	$104,158
Collier Health Services	Immokalee	Fla.	$124,743
Primary Health Care Inc.	Des Moines	Iowa	$125,000
Joseph M. Smith Community Health Center	Allston	Mass.	$125,000
Yellowstone City County Health Department	Billings	Mont.	$125,000
B-K Health Center Inc.	Susquehanna	Pa.	$77,100
Total: $931,001

Health Information Technology Innovation Initiative, FY 2007
(Effective September 1, 2007)

*Organization*	*City*	*State*	*Award*
Birmingham Health Care Inc.	Birmingham	Ala.	$300,000
CHC Collaborative Ventures Inc.	Tucson	Ariz.	$100,000
Community Health Center Network	Alameda	Calif.	$300,000
Assn of Asian/Pacific Comm Health Organizations	Oakland	Calif.	$300,000
Council of Community Clinics	San Diego	Calif.	$300,000
Colorado Community Managed Care Network	Denver	Colo.	$300,000
Community Health Centers Alliance Inc.	St. Petersburg	Fla.	$299,903
Boston Healthnet	Boston	Mass.	$300,000
Northern Minnesota Network	Cambridge	Minn.	$100,000
Institute for Urban Family Health	New York	N.Y.	$295,494
Oregon Community Health Information Network Inc.	Portland	Ore.	$300,000
Health Federation of Philadelphia	Philadelphia	Pa.	$100,000
Southwest Virginia Community Health Systems Inc.	Saltville	Va.	$300,000
Total: $3,295,397

The Health Resources and Services Administration ( HRSA ), part of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable. For more information about HRSA and its programs, visit www.hrsa.gov.