SENATORS SNOWE AND COLLINS ANNOUNCE MORE THAN $12.7 MILLION GRANT TO EASTERN MAINE HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS

U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe announced that Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems (EMHS) in Brewer has been awarded a $12,749,740 grant from the Department of Health and Human Services to build and strengthen its health information technology infrastructure. EMHS is one of just 15 qualified non-profit organizations and government entities that will receive funding through the Beacon Community Program. These communities, which will share a total of $220 million in funding, will serve as pilot communities for eventual wide-scale use of health information technology.

"Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems has set the gold standard with its efforts to modernize health information technology systems, streamlining information, and expanding health care options for patients in rural areas of our state," said Senators Snowe and Collins in a joint statement. "This funding is critical as EMHS continues to upgrade and improve its data and medical record management systems, facilitating information sharing between health care providers thus reducing errors and unnecessary health costs."

EMHS president and CEO, M. Michelle Hood, FACHE, said the organization is pleased to be selected as a recipient of the Beacon Community grant. "These funds will allow EMHS to build on our solid foundation of collaboration and innovation throughout the northeast, and will be especially helpful in our ability to connect smaller hospitals and other health providers in greater Bangor to technology that they otherwise wouldn't be able to afford."

Hood added that, "advancing the adoption of electronic health records and expanding connection to Maine's statewide health information exchange will benefit a range of health providers that ultimately will make our healthcare delivery system more cost efficient and improve care for patients, especially those with chronic disease."

"EMHS has already invested heavily in research and healthcare information technology, and we are eager to help advance both in Maine," Hood said. She also credited the many collaborators who helped to develop the program and expressed great enthusiasm for getting started!

The Beacon Community awards are part of an overall $100 billion federal government investment in science, innovation and technology funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which was signed into law with Senators Snowe and Collins' support. This funding will spur job creation in the health IT industries.