Robert Menendez

Menendez And Lautenberg: South Jersey Health Centers To Receive $3 Million For Electronic Record Technology

Recovery Act Grant to Assist Medical Centers that service Atlantic, Burlington, Salem counties

June 8, 2010

Washington – U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today announced the Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers in Hammonton has been awarded $3 million in federal funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to invest in electronic health record technology. The Recovery Act, which Lautenberg helped author as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, was signed into law by President Obama in February of 2009.

“This Recovery Act funding will help improve access to quality health care service for South Jersey families and individuals,” Lautenberg said.  “Investing in electronic health records will help stem growing health costs, reduce medical errors, and improve patient care. With this funding, New Jersey’s health care system will take an important step forward into the 21st century.”

“Ensuring that our family and community doctors can digitally organize our medical histories in order to better coordinate care makes our health care more accurate, efficient, and affordable. It also makes it easier to navigate for patients that often get lost in the maze of the system,” said Menendez. “This is the type of investment that will help our health care system successfully transition into the 21st century and will create the high-tech jobs necessary to carry out that transition.”

Electronic health records will improve the quality of health care for New Jersey residents by making it easier for physicians, nurses, and patients to access information they need to make decisions about the care they provide.  The Southern Jersey Family Medical Centers provide primary health care services to low-income families and individuals and the uninsured in local communities at eight centers in Atlantic, Burlington and Salem counties.

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