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July 29, 2010

Senate Committee Approves Over $4 Million Bennett Requests for Utah Health, Education and Economic Development Projects

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) announced today that the Senate Appropriations Committee approved over $4 million in funding for projects he requested to improve health care, expand educational opportunities and support economic development initiatives in Utah.

“Utahns are increasingly worried about the future of our health care system and their ability to access quality, affordable care,” said Bennett, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “As costs continue to rise under the new health care law, we need innovative projects, like those approved today, to make health care more efficient and affordable.”

The Fiscal Year 2011 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Act will fund many Utah initiatives requested by Bennett including $1 million for a Personalized Health Care Institute at the University of Utah. The funding for this project supports this statewide collaborative effort to lower the overall cost of health care delivery by expediting early detection and personalized treatment. Although focused on promoting good health for Utahns, the Institute will also encourage new biomedical technologies and health-related business opportunities for the state.

Also included in the bill is $500,000 for the Utah Medical Education Council (UMEC) to operate a mobile oral health clinic. UMEC, the group charged with ensuring Utah’s health care workforce meets citizens’ needs, will work in conjunction with the Utah Family Dental Plan and University of Utah Dental Program to provide sustainable oral health services to underserved areas in rural and urban Utah.

Bennett also secured funding for programs at Weber State University (WSU), Westminster College, and Snow College to address the state’s shortage of health care practitioners.

“Funding for these institutions is vital to ensure Utah has health care workers to meet our needs,” said Bennett. “With the new health care law placing increased pressure on an already strained workforce, these funds will help train and educate more health professionals to meet these demands.”

Below are additional Bennett-requested projects for Utah included in the bill:

WSU More Nurses Now-- $350,000

Funding will allow Weber State University to increase the number of registered nurses graduating each year. Funds will be used to strengthen the existing nursing program and purchase equipment needed to train nursing students.

Westminster College Nurse Education Technology-- $150,000

Westminster College will use this funding to purchase simulation mannequins and peripheral equipment to train health care professionals, improve their skill sets, and increase patient safety.

Snow College Certification Programs in Dental and Health Assisting-- $150,000

Funding will help Snow College purchase equipment and resources to support certification programs in dental assisting and medical assisting, as well as to prepare, train and certify health care workers to meet increasing needs.

Southern Utah University Museum of Art Project-- $400,000

Southern Utah University will use funding for exhibits and equipment to preserve historic and contemporary works of art significant to the American West at the Southern Utah Museum of Art.

United 4 Economic Development Workforce Training Project-- $250,000

Funding will assist in augmenting and expanding outreach and services, particularly workforce development and training for minority entrepreneurs to advance their business.

Utah Capital Investment Corporation-- $250,000

Funding will support a program creating and hosting entrepreneur education courses, and industry focused education and networking conferences. This program enhances the environment for job and company growth, assists individuals and companies with exposure to potential sources of capital and bolsters economic growth. This program has been successful in creating 2,020 jobs in only three years.

Utah Department of Health Laboratory Equipment-- $100,000

Funding will purchase up-to-date equipment for toxicology and environmental chemistry sections of the Utah Public Health Laboratory. Equipment is needed to improve identification and quantification of chemicals, toxins, and drugs commonly abused and will enhance the safety of laboratory employees, reduce the cost of handling wastes, shorten the time required for analyses, allow for the analysis of multiple drugs at lower levels, and low volume samples.

Utah State Office of Education Highly Qualified Rural Educators-- $300,000

The Utah State Office of Education will use funds to provide professional development for rural educators to obtain the necessary credentials to teach critical subjects with better knowledge and skill. Many rural districts find it difficult to find and maintain teachers qualified to teach multiple subjects. This funding will help eliminate this problem.

Utah State Office of Rehabilitation Assistive Technology-- $150,000

Funds will purchase assistive technology for people with disabilities at Utah’s Centers for Independent Living, as well as for low-income individuals with disabilities to enable them to continue living in their communities and prevent them from entering nursing homes, which is a more costly option for taxpayers.

Utah Valley University Microscopy Equipment-- $400,000

Utah Valley University will use funding to purchase equipment and instrumentation for a new microscopy facility, expanding the research capabilities of faculty and students. Equipment will allow students direct experience in the methods used in scientific investigation, enabling them to be highly competitive in the fields of biomedicine and research and development.

The Committee also approved the following Bennett-requested funding in the Fiscal Year 2011 Financial Services Appropriations bill:

National Centers of Excellence Regional Technology Deployment Pilot-- $600,000

The National Centers of Excellence will use funds to create a database of relevant technologies to enable small and medium sized manufacturing companies to find and access technologies currently available from universities and other industry members. The database will be the start of a national technology deployment effort that will make the nation’s small and medium sized manufacturers more competitive globally.

These spending measures will now be placed on the Senate calendar to be considered at a later date. Once passed by the Senate, the House and Senate will reconcile the differences between the bills before voting on final passage.

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