The Montana Department of Commerce announced that the Colstrip Hospital District has been awarded $120,000 in grant funding to support the implementation of an electronic records management migration aimed at improving health care coordination and patient services.
The funding was allocated through the Montana Coal Board, which provides impact grants to support communities affected by coal development and coal-based energy production. According to Commerce officials, the grant will allow the Colstrip Hospital District to modernize its records system and better integrate with regional health care partners.
Commerce Director Marta Bertoglio said the award reflects continued investment in Montana’s coal-impacted communities. She noted that over the past five years, more than $14 million in Coal Board grant funding has been distributed to a wide range of local governments and public entities, including counties, school districts, cities, a tribal government, a water and sewer district, and now a hospital district.
Colstrip Hospital District Administrator John Poole said the funding will allow the district to connect its electronic records system with affiliates of Billings Clinic and Logan Health, a Montana-based health care network. The integration is expected to improve continuity of care by giving providers timely access to patient records across the system while reducing duplicative testing.
The Montana Coal Board awards Coal Board Impact Grants to counties, communities, school districts, tribal governments, and other governmental units to help them provide services and facilities affected by changes in coal development or coal consumption by energy complexes. The board was established by the Montana Legislature in 1975 and is administratively attached to the Department of Commerce.
Additional information, including the Coal Impact Area Report and maps of grant distributions, is available through the Department of Commerce.