The Lovelace Clinic Foundation of New Mexico will receive more than $13 million as part of stimulus funds designed to "advance the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology (IT) and train workers for the health care jobs of the future," according to a Health and Human Services Department press release.

The awards are intended to make health IT available to more than 100,000 hospitals and primary care physicians by 2014 and train thousands of people for careers in health care and IT.

Of the more than $750 million being awarded by the Department of Health and Human Services, $386 million will go to 40 states and qualified state-designated entities to facilitate health information exchange at the state level, and $375 million will go to an initial 32 not-for-profit organizations to support the development of regional extension centers that will help health professionals as they work to implement and use health IT. This assistance at the state and regional levels will facilitate healthcare providers' efforts to adopt and use electronic health records in a meaningful manner.

The more than $225 million being awarded by the Department of Labor will be used to train 15,000 people in job skills needed to access careers in health care, IT, and other high-growth fields. Through existing partnerships with local employers, the grant recipients have identified about 10,000 job openings for skilled workers that likely will become available in the next two years in areas such as nursing, pharmacy technology, and IT. The grants will fund 55 separate training programs in 30 states to help train people for secure, well-paid health jobs and meet the growing employment demand for health workers.

We wrote recently about a proposed 8 percent increase for the Indian Health Service in President Obama's Fiscal Year 2011 budget. It appears the healthcare sector is one the federal government intends to invest heavily in. Our Healthcare Services team is staying abreast of these developments and can assist you in navigating these uncertain times. Please call today.