Marlene Miller

The Center for Rural Health at the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences disbursed more than $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 to fund studies of hospital reimbursement, ensure privacy of patient information and support quality improvement.  Each hospital has the option of applying its individual grant 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 has received an average of $9,000 each year,” said Marlene Miller, program director at the Center for Rural Health, Grand Forks.  “To date, the total impact on North Dakota is $2.3 million.”