{"70264":{"#nid":"70264","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Georgia Tech and Gwinnett Tech Receive $1.65 Million Grant to Boost Job Creation","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology and Gwinnett Technical College,\npart of the Atlanta Health Information Technology (HIT) cluster, have been\nawarded a $1.65 million grant to enhance the state\u2019s capabilities in this\nsector. The initiative is part of the federal government\u2019s Jobs and Innovation\nAccelerator Challenge, a tri-agency competition initiated to support the\nadvancement of 20 high-growth, regional industry clusters. The Atlanta HIT\ncluster\u2019s proposal was one of 20 selected from 125 applicants.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe collaborative program, designed to quickly create jobs to\nfill demand in Georgia\u2019s expanding HIT cluster, provides a commercialization\npathway for the supply-side and training for the workforce on the provider\nside. The initiative also engages traditionally underserved businesses\nthroughout the state\u2019s economically distressed areas via technical assistance\nresources.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOur ultimate goal is simple \u2013 to achieve higher-quality,\nlower-cost and more patient-centric health care throughout Georgia,\u201d said Steve\nRushing, director of HIT initiatives at Georgia Tech\u2019s Enterprise Innovation\nInstitute (EI\u003Csup\u003E2\u003C\/sup\u003E), who will serve as the general advisor for the\nintegrated project plan. \u0026nbsp;\u201cThrough\nextensive collaboration and partnerships, this initiative leverages existing\nresources to boost job creation through technology deployment, and thus economic\ndevelopment.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe HIT proposal is funded by the Economic Development\nAdministration (EDA), the Employment and Training Administration (ETA) and the\nSmall Business Administration (SBA). The Atlanta Development Authority (ADA) will\nassist with financing coordination on the SBA Scope of Work.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u201cADA will focus on\nidentifying and coordinating financing sources such as small business loans and\nequity from angel and venture capital firms to enhance this initiative,\u201d says\nBrian McGowan, president and ADA CEO. \u201cThis grant will greatly expand our\nregion\u2019s capacity to create jobs and establish a global competitive edge in a\nhighly sought after innovation cluster.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn-kind donations and support for hiring program graduates\nhave also come from the HIT industry and information technology providers. In\naddition, the Georgia Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) Business\nCenter will play a key role in identifying eligible and formerly underserved\nsmall businesses to participate in the program.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe centerpiece of the EDA funds provided by this grant will\nbe the creation of an Interoperability Lab that will be funded for two years.\u0026nbsp; A standards-based facility located at the\nGeorgia Tech Research Institute, the lab will test and evaluate cutting-edge\nhealth information technology software innovations originating from industry,\nresearchers, faculty and students, inventors and other sources.\u0026nbsp; \u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAs part of the initiative, Gwinnett Technical College will\ndevelop a one-year certificate in health information technology. The \u201cFeet on the Ground\u201d program, designed for veterans and\nunderemployed\/unemployed individuals,\nwill provide industry-designed training for employment in software development,\nsales and customer service, medical billing and coding, and computer networking\npositions within health care provider organizations.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis grant and the resulting \u2018Feet on the Ground\u2019 program\nis great news for our veterans, those unemployed and underemployed, and\nindividuals eager to enter the rapidly growing field of health information\ntechnology,\u201d said Gwinnett Tech President Sharon Bartels. \u201cHIT is a growing\nsector where there are jobs \u2013 for those with the right skills and training. The\nprogram Gwinnett Tech will develop will help fill this unmet need for a skilled\nworkforce and connect job seekers with employers.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe \u201cFeet on the Ground\u201d certification program will undergo\ncurriculum development and preparation for the initial project year. The target\nfor years two and three will be to graduate more than 400 certified trainees\nannually, approximately half of them veterans.\u0026nbsp;\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EMore information on the HIT initiative will soon be\navailable on the EI\u003Csup\u003E2 \u003C\/sup\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/innovate.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003Ewebsite\u003C\/a\u003E.\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp align=\u0022center\u0022\u003E# # #\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Funding Focused on the Health Information Technology Sector"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia Institute of Technology and Gwinnett Technical College,\npart of the Atlanta Health Information Technology (HIT) cluster, have been\nawarded a $1.65 million grant to enhance the state\u2019s capabilities in this\nsector. The initiative is part of the federal government\u2019s Jobs and Innovation\nAccelerator Challenge, a tri-agency competition initiated to support the\nadvancement of 20 high-growth, regional industry clusters. The Atlanta HIT\ncluster\u2019s proposal was one of 20 selected from 125 applicants.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"The collaborative program is designed to quickly create jobs to fill demand in Georgia\u2019s expanding Health Information Technology sector."}],"uid":"27281","created_gmt":"2011-09-26 13:48:16","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:10:14","author":"Lisa Grovenstein","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2011-09-26T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2011-09-26T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"70265":{"id":"70265","type":"image","title":"Health Information Technology","body":null,"created":"1449177304","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:15:04","changed":"1475894616","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:43:36","alt":"Health Information Technology","file":{"fid":"192941","name":"health_systems_institute.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/health_systems_institute_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/health_systems_institute_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1363809,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/health_systems_institute_0.jpg?itok=zsScrmNv"}}},"media_ids":["70265"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/innovate.gatech.edu\/","title":"Enterprise Innovation Institute"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"}],"keywords":[{"id":"14423","name":"Atlanta Development Authority"},{"id":"8307","name":"EII"},{"id":"14422","name":"Gwinnett Technical College"},{"id":"8677","name":"health information technology"},{"id":"14424","name":"Job Creation"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELisa Grovenstein, 404-894-8835\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["lisa.grovenstein@comm.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}