FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 26, 2007 |
CONTACT:
HRSA PRESS OFFICE
301-443-3376 |
HRSA Awards $48 Million for Critical Access Hospitals and
Frontier Extended Stay Clinic Project
HRSA Administrator Elizabeth Duke today announced more than $48 million to support critical access hospitals (CAHs) in rural areas and fund the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium's Frontier Extended Stay Clinic (FESC) demonstration project.
Under the HRSA-supported Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant Program, known as FLEX, 16 Health Information Technology Network Implementation Grants totaling $24 million were awarded to states to help CAHs set up electronic health records and other health information technology. Funds will enable CAHs, which receive Medicare reimbursement for acute inpatient and outpatient services, to improve monitoring of patient information and increase the safety, quality and efficiency of rural health services.
In addition, 45 awards totaling $22 million were made to rural health offices, academic institutions and state health departments in states with certified CAHs. These FLEX grants support the nearly 1,300 CAHs and help strengthen the development of rural networks of care, including emergency medical services.
“Rural residents often face geographic and other barriers to accessing care,” says HRSA Administrator Elizabeth Duke. “HRSA programs like the FLEX and FESC demonstrate the flexibility and innovation that's needed to reinforce rural health care delivery.”
HRSA also gave the Rural Health Resource Center in Duluth, Minn., an Information Services to Rural Hospital Flexibility Program Grantees award for $500,000. The cooperative agreement provides FLEX grantees and other health care organizations technical assistance and information on Medicare and Medicaid regulations, small hospital quality improvement programs, emergency medical services and other topics.
Finally, the SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium received $1.5 million to support the fourth year of the FESC demonstration project. The FESC model of care helps ensure that when transportation to a hospital (at least 75 miles away) is prohibited by weather, geography or other factors, residents of remote parts of Alaska have access to emergency and overnight services in a health clinic.
The Consortium, incorporated in 1975, links 18 Native Alaskan communities. Its network of health care services includes prevention and education programs, outpatient clinics, inpatient hospital services and services for the homeless.
HRSA's Office of Rural Health Policy administers the FLEX and FESC programs.
For more information, go to: Rural Hospital Flexibility Grant Program and Frontier Extended Stay Clinics.
Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, FY 2007 Awards
| Organization |
City |
State |
Amount |
| Alabama Department of Public Health |
Montgomery |
Ala. |
$350,000.00 |
| Alaska Department of Health and Social Services |
Juneau |
Alaska |
$600,000.00 |
| University of Arizona |
Tucson |
Ariz. |
$500,000.00 |
| Arkansas Dept. of Health & Human Services |
Little Rock |
Ark. |
$448,000.00 |
| California Department of Public Health |
Sacramento |
Calif. |
$415,000.00 |
| Colorado Rural Health Center |
Denver |
Colo. |
$560,000.00 |
| Florida Department of Health |
Tallahassee |
Fla. |
$450,000.00 |
| Georgia Departnent of Community Health |
Cordele |
Ga. |
$485,000.00 |
| Hawaii Department of Health |
Honolulu |
Hawaii |
$400,000.00 |
| Idaho Department of Health and Welfare |
Boise |
Idaho |
$500,795.00 |
| Illinois Department of Public Health |
Springfield |
Ill. |
$625,000.00 |
| Indiana Department of Health |
Indianapolis |
Ind. |
$545,000.00 |
| Iowa Department of Public Health |
Des Moines |
Iowa |
$585,000.00 |
| Kansas Department of Health and Environment |
Topeka |
Kan. |
$649,656.00 |
| University of Kentucky Research Foundation |
Lexington |
Ky. |
$500,000.00 |
| Louisiana Dept of Health and Hospitals |
Baton Rouge |
La. |
$480,646.00 |
| Maine Department of Human Services |
Augusta |
Maine |
$385,410.00 |
| Massachusetts Department of Public Health |
Boston |
Mass. |
$297,900.00 |
| Michigan Department of Community Health |
Lansing |
Mich. |
$530,000.00 |
| Minnesota Department of Health State Treasurer |
Saint Paul |
Minn. |
$650,000.00 |
| Mississippi State Department of Health |
Jackson |
Miss. |
$435,000.00 |
| Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services |
Jefferson City |
Mo. |
$460,000.00 |
| Montana Dept of Public Health and Human Services |
Helena |
Mont. |
$600,000.00 |
| State of Nebraska |
Lincoln |
Neb. |
$640,000.00 |
| University of Nevada, Reno |
Reno |
Nev. |
$450,000.00 |
| State of New Hampshire |
Concord |
N.H. |
$400,000.00 |
| New Mexico State Department Of Health |
Albuquerque |
N.M. |
$260,000.00 |
| Health Research, Inc. |
Rensselaer |
N.Y. |
$370,000.00 |
| North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services |
Raleigh |
N.C. |
$545,000.00 |
| University of North Dakota |
Grand Forks |
N.D. |
$630,000.00 |
| Ohio Department of Health |
Columbus |
Ohio |
$600,000.00 |
| Oklahoma State University |
Tulsa |
Okla. |
$565,000.00 |
| Oregon Health & Sciences University |
Portland |
Ore. |
$625,539.00 |
| Pennsylvania Department of Health |
Harrisburg |
Pa. |
$365,229.00 |
| South Carolina State Office |
Lexington |
S.C. |
$400,000.00 |
| South Dakota Department of Health |
Pierre |
S.D. |
$560,000.00 |
| Tennessee Department of Health |
Nashville |
Tenn. |
$455,000.00 |
| Office of Rural Community Affairs |
Austin |
Texas |
$629,000.00 |
| Utah Department of Health |
Salt Lake City |
Utah |
$341,000.00 |
| Vermont Department of Health |
Burlington |
Vt. |
$320,684.00 |
| Virginia Department of Health |
Richmond |
Va. |
$341,000.00 |
| Washington Department of Health |
Olympia |
Wash. |
$620,000.00 |
| West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources |
Charleston |
W.Va. |
$445,000.00 |
| University of Wisconsin - Madison |
Madison |
Wis. |
$615,000.00 |
| Wyoming Department of Health |
Cheyenne |
Wyo. |
$420,141.00 |
| TOTAL |
|
|
$22,050,000.00 |
Rural Hospital Flexibility Program, FY 2007 Health Information Technology Awards
| Organization |
City |
State |
Amount |
| Alabama Department of Public Health |
Montgomery |
Ala. |
$705,525.00 |
| Hawaii Department of Health |
Honolulu |
Hawaii |
$1,600,000.00 |
| Illinois Department of Public Health |
Springfield |
Ill. |
$1,600,000.00 |
| Indiana Department of Health |
Indianapolis |
Ind. |
$1,600,000.00 |
| Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals |
Baton Rouge |
La. |
$1,546,893.00 |
| Michigan Department of Community Health |
Lansing |
Mich. |
$1,600,000.00 |
| Minnesota Department of Health |
Saint Paul |
Minn. |
$1,600,000.00 |
| Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services |
Lincoln |
Neb. |
$1,599,996.00 |
| University of North Dakota |
Grand Forks |
N.D. |
$1,600,000.00 |
| Oklahoma State University, Center for Health Sciences |
Tulsa |
Okla. |
$1,593,961.00 |
| South Carolina Office of Rural Health |
Lexington |
S.C. |
$1,582,825.00 |
| Tennessee Department of Health |
Nashville |
Tenn. |
$1,600,000.00 |
| Office of Rural Community Affairs |
Austin |
Texas |
$1,600,000.00 |
| Virginia Department of Health |
Richmond |
Va. |
$1,131,065.00 |
| Washington Department of Health |
Olympia |
Wash. |
$1,439,735.00 |
| Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System |
Madison |
Wis. |
$1,600,000.00 |
| TOTAL |
|
|
$24,000,000.00 |
|
