The American Health Information Management Association Foundation announced the establishment of the Health Information Relief Operation Fund to aid health information management professionals affected by natural or manmade disasters.
The foundation was created in 1962 to serve as a vehicle for research and education. Since 2009, though, it has broadened its goals; it now seeks to "improve health information management by supporting the people, research and resources" that advance the profession, according to its website.
Multiple natural disasters this spring—floods, fires and tornadoes—"have led to chaos, destruction and death that have literally paralyzed communities and healthcare facilities in many parts of the country," a news release (DOC) from the foundation noted. The fund, initially seeded with $10,000 from AHIMA, "will provide material relief to (health information management) professionals whose practice and personal lives have been thrust beyond the call of duty."
"There are vast numbers of health information managers still struggling to deal in aftermath, but it does not absolve our unbroken obligation to recover as much patient information as possible," AHIMA board President Bonnie Cassidy said in the release. Chicago-based AHIMA manages the foundation, which is looking for continued support for the relief fund from AHIMA members and health information management's "greater professional community."
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