DEVELOPING A HEALTH INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE FOR ARIZONA

Network connectivity is critical in Arizona, where travel distances ar e great, academic programs dispersed, and health care practitioners of ten geographically isolated. Accordingly, the University of Arizona (U A) applied for $50,000.00 in National Library of Medicine/National Sci ence Foundation (NLM/NSF) Connections Program funding to promote state wide collaboration in supporting UA's health sciences education and re search programs by expanding network connectivity to hospitals and oth er health-related institutions. The proposal outlined three strategies : Each major nonuniversity teaching hospital would secure and maintain a leased communications line dedicated to network connectivity, and N SF funds would be used to buy some necessary hardware. NSF funds would be used to establish a modem bank for dial-up Internet access by rura l practitioners and teaching sites. Co-principal investigators of the project would promote and support the use of this new statewide connec tivity and foster its continued expansion. The proposal was based on a conservative philosophy: familiar technologies and, where possible, e xisting networks and equipment would be used. The proposal was approve d, and NSF funds hastened creation of an expanded health information n etwork in Arizona. Once that network was in place, participants moved quickly from managing the mechanics of connectivity to planning for a computing and communications platform with services. Private funds wer e obtained to help organize the Arizona Health Information Network to direct these expanded services.