ONC Health IT Workforce Development
About the Program
Health care providers need an increased workforce of skilled health IT specialists as they transition to electronic health records (EHRs). To address this need, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) created the Community College Consortia to Educate Health IT Professionals in Health Care Program, which is a part of ONC’s Health IT Workforce Development Program.
The Community College Consortia Program includes five regional groups – Regions A, B, C, D, and E – of 82 member community colleges representing all 50 states. The member community colleges received funding to rapidly create Health IT academic programs or expand existing health IT training programs that can be completed in six months or less.
State-of-the-art curriculum for the consortium was developed by Health IT experts from Colombia University, Duke University, Johns Hopkins University, Oregon Health Sciences University, and University of Alabama. Bellevue College has leveraged this valuable resource in numerous Health IT workforce development projects.
Region A
Led by Bellevue College, community colleges in ten western states developed and implemented Health IT training programs across ten western states*. Our collective goal was to prepare 2,400 individuals to enter this promising sector of health IT, and improve healthcare in the region. Grant targets were exceeded within the two-year grant funding period. These efforts seeded health IT programs at more than 20 institutions through the Northwest.
*Note: participating colleges in region A’s consortia are no longer receiving grant funds due to the end of the two year grant funding period. Colleges are still continuing their health IT academic programs.
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