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E-HEALTH SUPPLEMENT
e-Health supplement
Produced in association with the International e-Health Association
E-HEALTH NEWS
US health department awards $139 million in
grants to speed adoption of health IT
ON THE 13 OCTOBER 2005, the United States Department of Health and
Human Services announced $139 million in grants and contracts to promote the
adoption of health information technology. Awards include more than 100 grants
totaling $96 million over three years to communities, hospitals, health care
systems and providers in 38 states to support health information technology use
and development, particularly in small and rural hospitals and communities.
The initiative also includes five-year contracts totaling $25 million to help five
states – Colorado, Indiana, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Utah – develop secure,
private statewide IT networks that make individuals’ health information more
readily available to health providers; and an $18.5 million contract with a
research affiliate of the University of Chicago for the creation of a National Health
Information Technology Resource Center.
For further information see:
www.hhs.gov/news/press/2004pres/20041013.html and to find more on
grant recipients is available at www.ahrq.gov/research/hitfact.htm.
WHO Pacific Open Learning Health Network
enters new phase
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) convened the Country Task
Forces this week in Nadi to discuss the way forward for the WHO Pacific Open
Learning Health Network (POLHN).
POLHN was established to (1) provide access to continuing education for
health care workers, (2) assist health care workers in upgrading their qualifications,
(3) provide access to health information for health care workers and (4)
provide a facility for inter-country consultations and learning with the Pacific.
The following organisations have contributed to the development of the
Network and/or to courses in this unique regional effort:
➜ Australian International Health Institute;
➜ Fiji School of Medicine and Itemedia (Suva, Fiji and Sydney,
Australia);
➜ James Cook University (Townsville, Australia);
➜ Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (Honolulu, Hawaii);
➜ Philippine Centre for Communication Programmes (Manila, Philippines);
➜ University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia);
➜ James Cook University (Townsville, Australia);
➜ Philippine Centre for Communication Programmes (Manila, Philippines);
➜ University of Southern Queensland (Toowoomba, Australia);
➜ University of Otago (Dunedin, New Zealand);
➜ Fiji School of Medicine (Suva, Fiji);
➜ Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (Honolulu, Hawaii);
➜ Pacific Paramedical Training Centre (Wellington, New Zealand).
Open Learning Centres have now
been established on ten islands:
Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, the Marshalls,
Federated States of Micronesia, the
Solomons, Pilau, Kiribati, Vanuatu and
the Cook Islands. In each country
there is a Country Task Force
overseeing the operations of the Open
Learning Centre.
The network has just completed its
pilot stage and is now entering a new
stage in development. The workshop
convened in Nadi saw specific
recommendations made to take
forward to the Pacific Island Ministers
of Health Meeting in Apia this March.
POLHN promises a new and exciting
mechanism for the Pacific to work
together as a region harnessing the
opportunities put forward by
Information and communications
Technologies to improve the Health
Services of the Pacific. This network is
unique in its approach, and in its
engagement with the countries in a way
that recognises the independent needs
of each country while maximizing the
potential economies of scale and
benefits of working together as a region
using innovative learning techniques for
health and capacity enhancement to
improve health services locally and
regionally. The learning centres will each
work within their respective Ministries
of Health in a way that works best for
the human resource development needs
for each island state.
For further information see:
www.who.int
The e-Health Supplement is complied
by Dr Harry McConnell a board
member of the International e-Health
Association. He can be contacted
through Sheila Anazonwu at the
International Hospital Federation
on info@ihf-fih.org.
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30 | World Hospitals and Health Services | Vol. 40 No. 4