Pandemic, infectious disease outbreaks, bioterrorism, and public health concerns--the threat of these situations is serious. Each day health professionals, first responders and government officials are all plagued with the question of how they will be able to effectively respond should this type of disaster unfold.

 

In a first ever initiative, the State of California has developed a three-year plan, the PCRI (Project Collaboration Research Initiative), established to aid in the management of infectious diseases outbreaks by showing how advanced collaboration technologies can offer neccessary, effective response time.

 

For their collaboration platform, they have chosen Interwise's Interwise Connect IP Conferencing and Collaboration offering over other options for its advanced feature set and particularly for its ease of use, especially beneficial when a large amount of professionals must connect quickly and all at one time. 

 

Virtual meetings offer the immediacy necessary to address critical issues arising when these threats unfold. Information must be shared quickly, and across the board. Data about diagnosis, x-rays and protective measures need to be communicated in real-time. With conferencing and collaboration, updates about the situation can be communicated as it becomes available.

 

"PCRI will allow officers to rapidly and securely share biometric, environmental, GIS and other visual data, collaborate on strategies, policies and communications, as well as update one another continuously as a situation unfolds. The end result will be improved and timelier diagnosis, consolation and treatment of citizens during mass outbreaks," commented Roger Rosenberg, HOAC's project manager for the PCRI in a statement to the press.

 

Rosenberg also commented on the importance of real-time communications and the capabilities provided by Interwise Connect, "In our business, time saved translates to lives spared," he said.

 

Health Officers Association of California (HOAC) promotes the improvement of public health practices and includes a team of health professionals, high-tech companies, government agencies, research centers and nonprofit research centers. The HOAC also manages the PCRI initiative. 

 

The project includes a statewide VPN hosted by Verizon Business Systems, a recently offered service option to help businesses control costs and increase their systems' reliability and performance. This is installed along with Interwise Connect and offers California health officers a quicker, more reliable way of collaborating and answering to emergencies.

 

For more on the PCRI or HOAC please visit: www.calhealthofficers.org