Ga. Hospitals Plan Statewide Web-based Emergency System
Copyright 2005 PR Newswire Association LLC.
All Rights Reserved
Georgia Hospital Association and LiveProcess Launch First Ever Emergency Preparedness Platform Across State; Integrated, Web-based system offers set of standardized tools to prepare Georgia hospitals for emergencies or disasters
ATLANTA — The Georgia Hospital Association (GHA), in collaboration with the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH), signed a landmark $3.4 million contract to purchase the LiveProcess emergency preparedness platform that will create a single, seamless communications system for Georgia hospitals during widespread emergencies and disasters. The purchase of the platform, funded entirely by a grant from the DPH, makes Georgia the first state in the country to have standardized emergency software for all of its acute care hospitals. Rollout and installation of the LiveProcess platform will begin in January 2006 in hospitals statewide.
"With the addition of the LiveProcess system to more than 150 hospitals across the state, Georgia residents can take pride in the fact that their local, community hospital is equipped with cutting-edge technology that will help maximize every resource available in a public emergency," said GHA President Joseph Parker. "We applaud the efforts of the Georgia Department of Public Health and our member hospitals, and thank them for working so hard to launch this important public health initiative which will, ultimately, save lives in a disaster situation."
As seen with hurricanes Katrina and Wilma, when disasters strike, hospitals are most often the hardest hit. Additionally, with the ever- increasing threat of bio-terrorism and pandemics, the current industry standard for emergency planning is no longer enough. Hospitals need to be able to interact in real-time with state officials and other network hospitals as well as access vital information anytime, anywhere.
"Georgia's disaster planning efforts are already some of the most comprehensive in the country," said GHA Parker. "As the first organization to adopt LiveProcess' technology to prepare for emergencies, our position as a national leader in these critical efforts is further solidified."
"We are proud of the progress we have made over the last three years in improving critical factors in emergency preparedness for Georgia," said Dr. Stuart Brown, Director of the Georgia Division of Public Health. "We are particularly pleased with Georgia's health ranking in the Trust for America's Health report released last week, which showed we improved from 3 of 10 in 2003 to 7 of 10 in 2005. Only three other states scored higher that Georgia. With this new technology, Georgia's hospital community will be seated firmly among the nation's leaders in emergency preparedness," added Brown.
LiveProcess is leading the industry in health care inter-operability and emergency preparedness with a platform that enables emergency managers to securely share their plans in a standardized format. The platform helps emergency planners comply with national requirements including the National Incident Management System (NIMS), the Hospital Emergency Incident Command System (HEICS) and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).
The plans can also be readily customized to each hospital or health system and are easily accessed and shared within a network.
"Our company is focused on addressing the often-overwhelming day-to-day needs of hospital emergency planners around the country. By providing these planners with standardized tools to better prepare and communicate in the event of emergencies, we can address the needs of the planners, their hospitals, the surrounding communities, and our country," said Nathaniel Weiss, CEO of LiveProcess. "Our partnership with GHA is an exciting step in our mission to provide a common language to emergency coordinators and best prepare Georgia and our nation for whatever emergencies we may face."
LiveProcess' platform has been adopted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to support its healthcare leadership training at the world-class Noble Training Center and was initially designed with the help of the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, Sutter Health in California, the University of North Carolina Health Care System (UNC) and the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA).
The GHA/DPH/LiveProcess partnership was designed to bring the following benefits to hospitals and hospital emergency planners across the state of Georgia:
- Accurately create Hazard Vulnerability Analyses (HVAs) plans, drills
and training;
- Allow more effective communication with other first responders;
- Comply with regulations set by the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) and JCAHO;
- Manage surge capacity through tight integration with local, regional,
state and national resources;
- Maximize financial recovery/reimbursement;
- Address training requirements more effectively and efficiently.
About LiveProcess
Founded to provide a common language to emergency coordinators worldwide, LiveProcess has revolutionized the way hospitals prepare for and manage disasters. Established in 2003, the LiveProcess platform provides a range of fully integrated tools to assist in emergency management including Hazard Vulnerability Analyses (HVAs), Incident Command System tools (ICS), Drills for Readiness & Compliance and Competency-Based Training. For more information on LiveProcess, please visit http://www.liveprocess.com/ .
About GHA
Established in 1929, GHA is the state's largest trade organization of hospitals and health systems providing education, research and risk management services to its more than 185 hospital and health system members. Additionally, it represents and advocates health policy issues benefiting Georgia's citizens before the state legislature and U.S. Congress as well as before regulatory bodies.
About DPH
The Division of Public Health (DPH) is the lead agency entrusted by the people of the State of Georgia with the ultimate responsibility for the health of communities and the entire population. At the state level, GDPH is divided into numerous branches, sections, programs and offices, and at the local level, GDPH functions via 18 health districts and 159 county health departments. DPH is part of a larger state agency, the Georgia Department of Human Resources (DHR).