HHS Awards $11.9 Million for Rural Health IT
The Department of Health and Human Services announced late last week that it would be awarding 40 facilities $300,000 each for Health IT development. The awards, totaling $11.9 million, will be used to purchase hardware, software, and to train staff. In announcing the awards, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said, "We need health information technology to bring our healthcare system into the 21st century. These funds will help safety net providers acquire state-of-the-art health information technology systems to ensure the delivery of quality care to some of the most remote areas of our country." The awards were rolled out as part of the President's "Rural Health Initiative" and will be administered through the Office of Rural Health Policy in the Health Resource and Services Administration (HRSA). HRSA Administrator Mary Wakefield said that these grants will help facilities "enhance their services and organizational capacity". For more information on these awards, click here.