Rural hospitals receive funds through Center for Rural Health The Center for Rural Health disbursed over $289,000 from the Small Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) to 35 small rural hospitals in North Dakota. Administered by the Center for Rural Health, SHIP is funded through a grant from the federal Office of Rural Health Policy. The purpose of the program is to help small rural hospitals fund studies of hospital reimbursement, ensure privacy of patient information and support quality improvement. Each hospital has the option of applying their individual grants to any or all of the three aforementioned areas. Funds have been used to upgrade equipment for financial operations and information technology, and for staff training, consultation and educational materials. “Since the program began in 2002, each of North Dakota’s 35 eligible small rural hospitals have received an average of $9,000 each year,” said Marlene Miller, program director at the Center for Rural Health. “To date, the total impact to North Dakota is $2.3 million.” -- Denis F. MacLeod, Communications Specialist, Center for Rural Health, dmacleod@medicine.nodak.edu, 701-777-3300