Health and Community Services

Stimulus Priming the Information Technology Pump

April 6, 2009 - Energy management will receive lion's share of spending.

Health IT Rollout Continues With Free Connect Software, More

April 6, 2009 - HHS, Veteran's Affairs, Microsoft and Google, and the public's reaction to databasing and sharing of personal health information.

Stimulus May Fund Medicaid Data Warehouses

April 3, 2009 - States seeking stimulus money for electronic health record systems may want to deploy them in conjunction with data warehouses like Michigan's.

Health Information Technology Stimulus Requires Careful Planning

April 1, 2009 - Stimulus act funds give priority to reimbursing doctors and hospitals that use electronic health records.

Utah IT Legislation Rundown

March 27, 2009 - Creates the Statewide Communications Interoperability Committee to coordinate and resolve statewide communication issues.

David Blumenthal Named National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

March 20, 2009 - Blumenthal will lead the implementation of a nationwide interoperable, privacy-protected health information technology infrastructure.

Baton Rouge Pilots Wireless EMS-Hospital Video and Data Links

March 17, 2009 - Wireless video and data transmitted to speed emergency treatment.

First Responders See New Risk in Suicide by Chemicals

March 16, 2009 - Recent suicides show risks of household chemicals for EMS, fire and police.

Information Sharing Key to Better Food Safety, Obama Says

March 16, 2009 - Margaret Hamburg to lead the Food and Drug Administration.

New York's myBenefits Lets Citizens Apply for Social Services

March 15, 2009 - Daniel Chan, CIO of the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, discusses myBenefits social services Web portal.

Richard Siemer: CIO implements VoIP and IVR at New York City Human Resources Administration

March 12, 2009 - Moving to voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) for phone service across 14 agencies resulted in savings of 62 percent.

Physicians Frustrated as Health Care IT Advances

March 12, 2009 - "They don't take the time to really understand the problem and want us to adapt to whatever software they come up with."

Telecommunications, Health IT and Transportation Targets for Vermont Stimulus Funds

March 6, 2009 - Governor Douglas will be meeting with community leaders, business owners and residents as part of his "Road to Recovery" tour.

2009 Doers, Dreamers and Drivers

March 5, 2009 - Government Technology's Top 25 public-sector innovators for 2009.

State Governments to Play Critical Role in Health IT, Says Report

March 4, 2009 - The adoption of effective HIT and HIE by states will help improve and transform the American health care system.

ARRA Stimulus Package: $20 Billion for Healthcare IT, $4.3 Billion for Smart Grid Technology

March 4, 2009 - "This new government money will flow to both the private sector and directly to federal, state and local government."

Obama: Sebelius HHS Secretary Nominee

March 2, 2009 - Announced the release of $155 million authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that will support 126 new health centers.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions Tracked by Google Earth Layer

February 25, 2009 - 'Vulcan' map layer lets users track pollution from power plants and factories, or by U.S. location.

Septic Tanks Targeted by GIS Maps in Topeka, Kansas

February 25, 2009 - Topeka, Kan., is using GIS maps to identify homeowners who aren't hooked into the sewer system, which generates revenue.

Governors Address Pandemics and Continuity of Government

February 19, 2009 - Pandemics and workforce continuity through telecommuting, flexible scheduling, social distancing, etc.