Think Tank Strives to Improve State Health Care System

Company Website: http://www.wv.gov
CHARLESTON, W. Va. -- (Business Wire)

The West Virginia Health Innovation Collaborative, formed in an effort to map a new strategic vision for a healthy and prosperous West Virginia, announced the launch of a new website www.wvhicollaborative.wv.gov.

“The goal of the West Virginia Health Innovation Collaborative is to bring stakeholders together in a cooperative, encouraging and supportive manner to strengthen the health and well-being of West Virginians,” West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Deputy Secretary Jeremiah Samples said. “The collaborative aims to be proactive, working collaboratively and committing to better health outcomes, better health care, and lower costs.”

West Virginia ranks among the top in public risk factors that include: child poverty, drug abuse, poor nutrition and tobacco use. Additionally, West Virginia ranks among the bottom in America’s Health Ranking in the areas of cardiac heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity and mental health.

The collaborative is a public/private partnership open to all stakeholders that will serve as an inventory for health innovation initiatives. Additionally, the collaborative will facilitate the sharing of best practices and explore and develop strategies to improve the health care system in West Virginia.

The new interactive website will assist with these goals and be a central information source on the initiatives, activities and accomplishments of the collaborative. Visitors to the site will be able to:

• View the Collaborative Event Calendar
• Participate in Discussion Forums
• View the Statewide Initiatives Resource Map
• Submit Program Information

Visitors to the site are able to download monthly newsletters and quarterly meeting notes, important announcements, opportunities to participate, and the progress of the collaborative.

The new website was developed by the Governor's Office of Health Enhancement and Lifestyle Planning (GOHELP) and the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources in partnership with WV.gov.

About WV.gov

WV.gov is the official website of the State of West Virginia (http://www.wv.gov) and is the result of an innovative public-private partnership between the state and West Virginia Interactive. West Virginia Interactive works with state and local government agencies to build and manage interactive online services and is a subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV).

About NIC

Founded in 1992, NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV) is the nation's leading provider of official government websites, online services, and secure payment processing solutions. The company's innovative eGovernment services help make government more accessible to everyone through technology. The family of NIC companies provides eGovernment solutions for more than 3,500 federal, state, and local agencies in the United States. Forbes has named NIC as one of the “100 Best Small Companies in America” five times, most recently ranked at No. 11 (2013), and the company has been included four times on the Barron’s 400 Index. Additional information is available athttp://www.egov.com.

Contacts:

West Virginia Interactive
Ian McQuinn, 304-414-0265 x 106
ian@wvinteractive.com

Source: West Virginia Interactive