WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today Congressman David Wu released the following statement after reviewing the economic stimulus bill language from the House Appropriations Committee:

“I have been fighting to ensure that the stimulus bill Congress will consider in coming days includes language to train workers in health information technology, a growing field that will provide new jobs and improve health care.  I am extremely pleased to announce that the stimulus bill directs $2 billion toward health IT, a portion of which will be used for workforce training.  Teaching more health professionals to effectively use health IT is an essential step toward realizing the benefits of these systems, which include improved patient care and a reduction in the estimated 98,000 annual American deaths related to medical errors.  

The stimulus legislation does not include specifics about the structure of the required health IT training.  I recently introduced a bill, the 10,000 Trained by 2010 Act, or H.R. 461, which provides specific direction on the workforce training needed to address the shortage of high-skilled workers who can build, implement, and maintain health IT systems.  I will continue to champion health IT workforce training, both in the stimulus and in my legislation, until Congress has committed the necessary resources to create and fill jobs in this exciting field.”