Clinics receive federal IT grants

MOSES LAKE — Three community health centers in Grant County have been awarded federal grants totaling about $210,000 to improve and upgrade their computer, phone, and record keeping systems.

The Columbia Basin Health Association, which runs three medical clinics and one dental clinic in Othello, Connell, and Mattawa, received $90,158 — the largest grant awarded locally.

Other recipients include the Mattawa Community Medical Clinic, which received a grant for $43,217, and the Moses Lake Community Health Center, which was awarded $77,365.

“We’re going to use this to update patient involvement,” said Dana Fox, head of the Mattawa clinic. “We need to update our computers and our phones. We’re still moving paper files.”

“Hopefully, we will become a lot more computerized and keep better records,” she added.

The three grants are among 26 worth a total of $2.3 million the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded to clinics and health centers across the state of Washington this year.

According to Martin Kramer, director of communications for the Health Resources and Services Administration — which administers the grants — the funds are awarded competitively and can be used to buy or upgrade new equipment, purchase new software, training, and improved data collection and analysis.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com