Washington, DC--Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) secured a preliminary $850,000 in combined funding for the Bronx Regional Health Information Organization (RHIO) and the Bronx Resource Community Center, as part of the FY 2011 Labor, Health and Education Appropriations bill.

Bronx RHIO has been awarded $500,000 for its efforts to create a countywide secure, interoperable health information exchange making it possible for patients’ medical records to follow them wherever they go for health services in the Bronx. The health information exchange integrates clinical information from multiple sources and sites into a virtual medical record available to authorized users.    

The Bronx Resource Community Center will receive $350,000 to expand their current operating employment and training program. 

Rep. Engel said, “Bronx RHIO does an outstanding job in streamlining our health care system, something which will result in substantial savings to Bronx residents over time.  The Bronx Resource Community Center provides a service vital in normal times, but in these tough economic times with far too many Bronx residents out of work, their services are invaluable.  I am very pleased to be able to help both organizations continue their stellar work.”

Rep. Engel is a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

“We are grateful to Congressman Eliot Engel for his continued support of the Bronx RHIO as we pursue our goal of creating universal interoperability of Bronx healthcare information and enable providers to transform care, save lives, and lower costs,” said Donald Ashkenase, Chairman of the Bronx RHIO.  

Bronx Resource Community Center Director Dr. Rev. Keith Elijah Thompson said, “We are very pleased to receive this generous award to utilize at our community center.  We are most gracious for this opportunity to expand our current operating employment and training program.  We will hereby endeavor to reach out to more of the community and its needs for a more enriching environment.  On behalf of the Bronx Resource Community Center, I thank Congressman Engel for the help he has given to the needs of the community. May God richly bless him.”

The Bronx RHIO is a not-for-profit organization organized and governed by the borough’s leading healthcare providers. Participants include hospitals, community health centers, long-term care and home care service organizations. Collectively, these providers deliver some 85 percent of the healthcare received by the borough’s 1.4 million residents.  This includes over 95 percent of the Bronx’s annual hospital discharges, over 600,000 annual Emergency Department visits, and 4.5 million annual ambulatory care visits.

This action was a preliminary step in a long process. The bill will now be considered by the full House Appropriations Committee, and then the full House. The Senate is also working on their version of the bill.

Rep. Engel added, “While this is only the beginning of the Appropriations process, I feel very good that funding for this important program was included in this measure. I will continue working with my colleagues to ensure this funding is preserved as the bill moves through the legislative process.”

###