SACRAMENTO, CA – Twelve California organizations will receive grants totaling  $6 million for healthcare information technology, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.) announced this week.

The grants are part of $50 million in charitable investments the state acquired from PacifiCare Health Systems when it merged with the UnitedHealth Group in 2005. The grants, which can also be used to promote medical education and coordinated care, target California's underserved population.

"These projects provide an important step toward fixing our broken healthcare system by giving consumers and medical providers better access to telemedicine technology and personal health records," Schwarzenegger said. "Expanding health information technology is a major component to comprehensive healthcare reform. It improves access to underserved Californians, increases patient safety and reduces overall healthcare costs."

The funding is going to healthcare providers, clinics and community groups for such projects as developing telemedicine and electronic health record systems for hospitals and clinics, funding gang violence prevention and improving access to mental health services.

Schwarzenegger announced $25 million in new grants for healthcare technology projects last August. The $6 million is the second of four funding cycles over the next three years. A total of $12.7 million has been awarded to date.

Last November, the governor also announced an additional $22 million in grants from the Federal Communications Commission to expand telemedicine across the state. A coalition is creating a telehealth network that will academic teaching hospitals and rural healthcare providers to increase access to care for rural communities.