Biden, Sebelius Announce 15 Beacon Community Awardees - May 11, 2010

On May 4, Vice President Joseph Biden and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that HHS has awarded a total $220 million in Beacon Community cooperative agreement awards to 15 communities across the country that will implement pilot programs for innovative uses of health information technology. The grants were authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, as part of more than $2 billion designated to help build and strengthen HIT infrastructure and health information exchange capabilities. Over 130 communities applied for the 15 awards; HHS states that $30 million remains to fund additional Beacon Community awards, and that it will make an announcement about the application process for such awards soon.