The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has selected TCC to lead a consortium to educate 7,500 information technology professionals in healthcare in a 12-state region over the next two years through a grant for $16,017,608.

The TCC-led region has 25 percent of the U.S. population - more than 75 million people - one of the largest regions in the initiative.

Leading educational partners in the consortium are Sentara Health Systems, Eastern Virginia Medical School and Virginia's Statewide Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center.

"This is a great day for Hampton Roads," said Harry T. Lester, president of EVMS. "Congratulations to Tidewater Community College for their vital role in helping to bring information technology to bear on health care. We're proud to be partnering with TCC on this milestone venture that promises benefits for patients everywhere."

President Lester noted that C. Donald Combs, PhD, vice provost for planning and health professions at EVMS, will serve as a co-principal investigator and will represent EVMS on the regional curriculum committee of the Community College Consortia grant. Dr. Combs also serves on the Commonwealth's Health Information Technology Advisory Commission that is charged with developing a strategic plan for health IT implementation across the state.

EVMS' role in the TCC-led consortium will be to assist the community college in reviewing and standardizing training for a new cadre of health professionals who will be involved in implementing electronic health records, facilitating information exchange, and changing the way workflow is managed in the various health care settings.

"TCC has taken a leadership role in developing the trained workforce that will be necessary if we are to take full advantage of electronic health records and of the sharing of patient information," Dr. Combs said. "The potential for substantial improvements in efficiency, quality of care and patient safety is directly related to the competence of the health care workforce and, in particular, to the workforce's capabilities to use the new information technologies effectively That focus on competence in practice is a strength of the TCC consortium."

Efforts to improve, implement and unify electronic health records (EHRs) across the nation comes under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, as part of HHS activities to increase access to healthcare, protect those in greatest need, expand educational opportunities and modernize the nation's infrastructure.

TCC will coordinate the collaboration of more than 100 community stakeholders and 22 other community colleges in 11 states (one college serves two states) and the District of Columbia to provide training on six key positions needed to establish or expand health information technology (HIT) systems.

The six key positions are:
• Practice Workflow and Information Management Redesign Specialist
• Clinician/Practitioner Consultant
• Implementation Support Specialist
• Implementation Manager
• Technical/Software Support Staff
• Trainer

TCC's HIT program is one of 13, including the Beazley School of Nursing, in its health professions division. The college will open its Regional Health Professions Center - a 65,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art facility - by early 2011, which allows for double the output of healthcare professionals.