HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced the allocation of $5.3 million in grant funding to support rural health IT and telehealth development to provide mental health services to veterans.
About $4.4 million of the funding will go to organizations across 15 states to recruit and train technology-focused workers to fill the growing IT staffing needs of rural hospitals and clinics.
"Health IT is growing in rural communities, and its use is even more critical now as we're expanding access to patients living in those areas," said Secretary Sebelius in the release. "This investment is designed to attract, train and retain HIT specialists who might otherwise seek education and job opportunities away from their own rural communities where their skills are greatly needed."
Additionally, Maine, Montana and Alaska will each receive $300,000 to use telehealth to improve their statewide crisis intervention services. The funding is a collaboration between HHS and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
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