The appropriations are included in the Labor, Health & Human Services and Education Appropriations Conference Report. The Conference Report is expected to be approved by both the House and Senate and signed by the President in the next few days.

McConnell, a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, secured the following: 

--$1 million for the University of Kentucky's Center for Instructional Technology and Learning. 

With the funding secured by Senator McConnell, UK will develop assistive and instructional technologies to help local school districts meet the special educational needs of students with disabilities. UK already enjoys a distinguished national reputation in this field and will place a specific emphasis on aiding Kentucky's rural school districts, which frequently lack the most up-to-date educational technologies of their larger counterparts.

"UK is a leader in developing new technologies to help children with special education needs," said McConnell. "This funding will enable UK to continue its outstanding commitment to assisting students with disabilities." 

--$1 million for UK's Center for Improving Medication-Related Healthcare Outcomes. 

A 1999 report by the National Academy of Sciences found that medication related errors cause the untimely deaths of thousands of Americans each year. 

With the funding secured by Senator McConnell, UK's Center will help doctors and hospitals identify the specific causes of medication-related errors and develop strategies to prevent them. The program will also provide consumer outreach activities to help ensure that patients are using their medication properly. 

"This funding will allow UK to continue its important research into developing methods to help doctors identify medical errors and find ways to prevent them in the future, said McConnell." 

Rogers, a senior member of the House Appropriations Commmittee, secured $2 million for a major addition to the UK Center for Rural Health in Hazard. The expansion will include a new dental clinic and dental training programs, as well as classrooms and lab facilities to serve the center's physical therapy program and other course work.

The Center for Rural Health is part of the UK College of Medicine and is home to a number of academic and residency programs for students from Appalachia and other rural Kentucky counties. The program returns 80 percent of its graduates to to rural communities.