WASHINGTON – The Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday awards for more than $267 million to 28 non-profit organizations to establish Health Information Technology Regional Extension Centers.

The grants from the $2 billion allotted for healthcare IT under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and follows 32 HHS for grants issued last February for regional extension centers (RECs).

HHS intends for the grants to help grow the emerging health information technology industry and to support tens of thousands of jobs including nursing, pharmacy technicians,  IT technicians and trainers, said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

"Healthcare in our country is community-based," she said. "Today's awards represent our ongoing commitment to make sure that health providers have the necessary support within their communities to maximize the use of health IT to improve the care they provide to their patients."

With this round of awards, HHS has funded a total of 60 RECs, expected to support some 100,000 primary care providers and hospitals within two years. All REC awardees will have an opportunity to apply for a two-year expansion supplemental award,  Sebelius said.

The supplemental awards would ensure that health IT support services are available to more than 2,000 of the nation's critical access hospitals and rural hospitals, both defined as having 50 beds or less, according to Sebelius.

Approximately $25 million will be available through the supplemental expansion program, she said.

David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology said, "RECs are a vital part of our overall efforts to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare through the effective use of health IT."

 The full list of grantees follows on the next page...