|
HOME > ABOUT > PRESS > STIMULUS MONEY FOR ELECTRONIC RECORDS
Article published - June 3, 2010
Credit: PRESS DEMOCRAT
Health centers get stimulus money for electronic records
by Lori A. Carter
The Redwood Community Health Network was awarded $2 million in federal stimulus money to expand its electronic health records system.
The funds are part of $2 billion disbursed under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to expand health care services to low-income and uninsured people through community health centers.
The Redwood Community Health Network, based in Petaluma, is a nonprofit subsidiary of the Redwood Community Health Coalition, a consortium of 15 community health centers in Sonoma, Marin, Solano and Yolo counties.
Spokesman Pedro Toledo said Thursday the money will be used to expand implementation of a $14 million electronic health records program the coalition is working on in 10 health centers in those counties.
The coalition’s health centers in the West County, Petaluma and Santa Rosa already use electronic health records, he said. The funds soon will be used to start a similar program in Cloverdale.
“Now that our doctors are using electronic health records to improve the health of our patients, we want to be able to extract some of that data and improve the health of our communities,” he said. “By being able to monitor the data, we can tailor and design targeted interventions.”
The Redwood Community Health Coalition treats about 103,000 patients annually in Sonoma County, accounting for about 300,000 doctor visits a year.
About half the Latino population, including about 70 percent of the Latino women and children, receives care through the coalition’s clinics, Toledo said.
There are eight coalition health centers in Sonoma County.
|
