Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) today congratulated Brown University on its receipt of a $10 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to conduct research on the quality of long-term health care in this country.
“Long-term care is a critical part of our health care infrastructure, improving the lives of millions of Americans every day. This grant represents not only an awareness of the importance of long-term care services in our aging society, but also a strong commitment to improving these services moving forward,” said Whitehouse, a member of the Senate Aging Committee. “I’m proud that Brown University will have the chance to continue Rhode Island’s leading role in improving the quality of health care across the country.”
The $10 million award, allocated over five years, will support a research project by Brown’s Center for Gerontology and Health Care Research to collect data on insurance reimbursement claims, hospitalizations, the health of long-term care facility residents, relevant state policies and a myriad of other topics from nursing homes all over America. When completed, Brown’s comprehensive database will be a powerful tool to assist policymakers as they assess ways to improve the quality of Americans’ health care.
Whitehouse has worked to improve the quality of health care through his career in public service. As Rhode Island’s Attorney General, he founded the Rhode Island Quality Institute, a collaborative effort between health care providers, insurers, and government that has spearheaded initiatives to expand the use of electronic health records and promote evidence-based reforms.
In the Senate, Whitehouse has introduced legislation aimed at encouraging health quality reforms, building a national health information technology infrastructure, and linking health care payments to health care quality. A member of the Senate Budget Committee, Whitehouse succeeded in offering an amendment to Congress’s fiscal year 2008 budget resolution creating a reserve fund for the adoption of modern health information technology.
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