In October, the Minnesota Department of Health’s Office of Health Information Technology submitted an application to participate in the 2013 State HIE Cooperative Agreement Program. With $564 million to be used to support state level planning and implementation projects, the plans are to use $40 million over 4 years. The project called the “Minnesota e-Health Connect” project is going to build on the previous five year efforts of the Minnesota-e-Health Initiative, a public-private collaborative.
The goals of the “Minnesota e-Health Connect” project are to develop plans for HIEs, provide oversight to ensure that the needs of the providers are fulfilled, develop the infrastructure to facilitate meaningful use, and implement initiatives to connect providers to state designated HIEs.
The project will garner stakeholder support through the Minnesota e-Health Initiative and the Minnesota e-health Advisory Committee plus work with stakeholders to identify the governance model for HIE in the state.
With the development of a HIE in the state, more help will be available to help the aging population in the state. In 2011, some of the baby boomers in the state will be 65 years old and are looking to a future where technology will enable them to stay in their homes as they age. Also, people in Minnesota tend to want stay in their state as they age.
Specifically to help the state’s aging population, the Minnesota Department of Human Services awarded $2.4 million in grants to community organizations throughout the state to help the aging population live independently and remain in their own homes as long as possible.
The grants provide seed money to develop services to improve chronic disease management and to link long-term care services to promote independence for seniors. For example, the funding will provide caregiver health education, deliver home services, provide telehealth support and mobile health service programs, assist with home modifications and repair, and provide transportation, care coordination, and homemaker services for seniors.
In another move to help seniors, it was announced recently that the Minnesota Department of Human Services, Aging and Adult Service Division will be seeking proposals for FY 2011 with information to be available on January 19, 2010. The purpose for the funding will be to expand and integrate home and community-based services for older adults that will enable local communities to support people in their homes while expanding caregiver support.
The deadline for the proposals will be March 26, 2010. The announcement on the FY 2011 grantees will be provided on July 2010. For more information on the FY 2011 proposals, email Jacqueline Bruno Peichel at Jacqueline.s.peichel@state.mn.us.
