LAS VEGAS, March 24, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- IWCE 2004, Booth #11022 -- Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV), North America's premier provider of mobile satellite communications services, through partner Liberty Communications, announced today at the IWCE Conference & Exposition in Las Vegas, a first-of-its-kind satellite-based emergency communications system being deployed across the State of Connecticut using MSV's dispatch radio capability.
The Connecticut Department of Public Health (CT-DPH), which two years ago was in the news spotlight, responding to an anthrax case that also involved four other states, is the lead state agency deploying a system to coordinate public health communications to respond to a bioterrorism event or other health emergency.
The system, coined "MEDSAT" by CT-DPH, is funded through the state's CDC Public Health Bioterrorism Preparedness and Response grant. MEDSAT connects the CT-DPH Command Post to all 32 Connecticut-based hospitals, the State of Connecticut Emergency Operations Center (EOC), and the Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA).
"We have implemented a very secure and reliable voice communications system," said Michael Purcaro, Communications Manager and MEDSAT project leader for the CT-DPH. "We looked at hospitals as an important partner in which to build this infrastructure. We are proud that as a result of this deployment, Connecticut public health emergency communications is on the leading edge of technology."
Purcaro said through the efforts of the department's Communication and Information Technology/Health Alert Network workgroup, CT-DPH has established multiple talk groups. These talk groups link the CT-DPH Command Post to state hospitals, the State of Connecticut's EOC, the CT-DPH's mobile MEDSAT units, the state's two hospital based Centers of Excellence for bioterrorism preparedness and response and CHA. The Centers of Excellence are represented by Hartford Hospital in the northern tier of the state, and respectively, Yale New Haven Hospital in the southern tier. MEDSAT has the ability to provide additional partner access to talk groups within their organization to support an effective, coordinated response to a public health emergency.
Scott Palmer, Manager for Emergency Communications Center at Hartford Hospital, the largest medical center in Connecticut, noted that the satellite terminals are deployed in designated areas such as dispatch centers and emergency command centers. He oversees Hartford's 24 x 7 emergency dispatch center that handles both the hospital Security Department and the LIFE STAR helicopter program used to transport critically ill and injured people throughout the state and region.
"It's a tremendous benefit for the state as a whole to have this system in place. The satellite system allows the Department of Public Health, other hospitals and CMED (Coordinated-Medical Emergency Dispatch) Centers a back-up system that will help to ensure the ability to communicate critical messages in what may be the greatest time of need. The State of Connecticut is covered."
Kerry Flaherty, Director of the State Office of Emergency Management, plans to train his office's five area coordinators on the system.
"Being able to bring everyone together over one channel securely and reliably is not something we currently have the ability to do with cellular or traditional radio communications," said Flaherty, who believes the system will do much to ensure communications interoperability across the state's first responder community.
"This is just the beginning of the State of Connecticut using leading-edge technology," added Flaherty. "We're very close to being able to support response and recovery under the worst-possible conditions without losing communications. I think in the future we will expand the system to the local communities. It's going to be a great system."
About MSV
Mobile Satellite Ventures is North America's premier provider of mobile satellite communications services. Delivering service since 1996, MSV offers customers a wide choice of wireless data, voice, fax and dispatch radio services via its two MSAT satellites. MSV provides superior capacity and reliability for customers across North America, northern South America, Central America, the Caribbean, Hawaii and in coastal waters.
MSV is dedicated to developing the next generation hybrid wireless network over North America that will utilize thousands of cell sites and a satellite constellation working in unison to deliver seamless wireless services to end-users over standard wireless devices.
MSV is headquartered in Reston VA with an office in Ottawa ON. For more information, visit MSV online at www.msvlp.com.
Note to Editors: To download a photo of the MSV dispatch radio system being used in Connecticut, go to: http://www.msvlp.com/images/ConnecticutDPH.jpg
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