Upon the high recommendation of the Community Foundation of Western and Central New York and WNY HEALTHeLINK, People Inc.’s Elmwood Health Center will be honored at the upcoming New York eHealth Collaborative Gala and Awards Ceremony in New York City as a New York Health IT Visionary for their pioneering use of technology to improve the lives of the community that the Elmwood Health Center serves, many of whom are un- or under-insured and struggle with chronic conditions.

The award notification letter from NY eHealth Collaborative reads in part that "In working with HEALTHeLINK, your NCQA PCMH level 3 certification through the HEAL 10 project is one example of how your efforts measurably improve care coordination. And your tele-monitoring project as part of the WNY Beacon program is both exciting and groundbreaking. It is high tech and high touch at the same time, creating a stronger and more substantial method for communication between providers and their most at-risk patients. This is what health IT is all about."

The New York eHealth Collaborative is the not-for-profit organization designated by both the state and federal governments to advance health IT in the State of New York. Ultimately, the goal of NYeC is that no patient, wherever they may need treatment within the State of New York, is ever without fast, secure, accurate, and accessible health information. According to the NY eHealth Collaborative, "It is this goal which resonates so profoundly with the work of the Elmwood Health Center."

When asked for his thoughts on receiving word of this award, Frank M. Azzarelli, associate vice president of People Inc. and director of the Elmwood Health Center, said "To receive recognition such as this is truly an honor and is in and of itself a testament to the dedication and hard work of the entire Elmwood Health Center Team in making health information technology a reality for all of our patients and their families. In doing so, we have truly put health information technology to meaning use in all that we do for the betterment of all that we serve."

Information on the Elmwood Health Center may be found at www.elmwoodhealthcenter.org while additional information on the New York eHealth Collaborative may be found at www.nyehealth.org.