Small hospitals receive funds through Center for Rural Health The Center for Rural Health at UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences distributed over $267,000 from the Small Hospital Improvement Program (SHIP) to 35 small rural hospitals in North Dakota. “For the eighth consecutive year, North Dakota’s eligible small rural hospitals has received an average of $8,000 each year,” said Marlene Miller, program director at the Center for Rural Health. “To date, the program has brought well over $2 million to North Dakota’s small rural facilities.” 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 threefold: 1) to support small rural hospitals in providing quality care to rural residents 2) to ensure privacy of patient information 3) to fund financial studies designed to help with complex health care billing, coding and reimbursement processes. Funds have been used to upgrade equipment for financial operations and information technology, and for staff training, consultation, and educational materials. -- Tara Mertz, Communications Specialist, Center for Rural Health, taramertz@medicine.nodak.edu, 777-0871