Cisco, EllisDon and FlexITy Team Up To Help Make Sault Area Hospital One of Canada’s Most Advanced Digital Hospitals

Hospital Vision Regarded IT as Integral Design Component

TORONTO, Ontario, March  22, 2011 – Cisco, EllisDon Corp. and FlexITy Solutions, a Cisco Gold Certified and Master Unified Communications Specialized Partner, today announced the completion of one of the most advanced digital health care facilities in the country at Sault Area Hospital.

The hospital opened its doors to patients on March 6 to deliver leading-edge facility operations and clinical services to its constituency as a result of the careful collaboration among architectural design, construction and information technologies that formed the foundation for this project.  The hospital infrastructure will run on a Cisco® Medical-Grade Network, providing multiple services across one Internet Protocol (IP) network supporting data, voice and video, and facilitating and integrating diverse business and clinical communications between patients, administrators and partners in a highly secure environment.

The medical-grade network utilizes 802.11n wireless technology to run bandwidth-intensive, multimedia-rich applications, providing information to health care providers when they need it no matter where they are in the facility, even at the bedside. The network technology also means more residents of the Algoma region will be able to receive the care they need without traveling long distances to larger city centers.

Project Highlights:

• Working closely with hospital officials, EllisDon, the primary builder of the facility, and FlexITy Solutions, the technology consultancy, proposed the Cisco Medical-Grade Network to improve patient care, increase efficiencies and reduce costs.
• All hospital systems are IP-enabled within the network, including Cisco Unified Communications, physical security systems, lighting, building controls and surgical suite video capabilities. Surgical suites are connected to the Ontario Telemedicine Network, allowing remote access to live high-definition video collaboration resources. Specialists in other locations can provide expert advice during surgeries, and videos can be used for teaching purposes.
• EllisDon’s Information and Communication Technology Service division designed the Cisco IP-phone patient-bedside terminals. Once installation is complete, the terminals will provide patients with telephony, entertainment services, lighting controls, Internet access and nurse call. The terminals also support bedside charting and access to patient data, delivering clinical information with a high degree of security at the point of care.
• FlexITy designed and delivered the 10-gigabit medical-grade network, incorporating Cisco Catalyst® 6513 and 4510 switches, Cisco Aironet® 1142 wireless access points and Cisco CleanAir technology to optimize the wireless network and mitigate the impact of wireless interference. The network also supports Cisco Unified Communications, Cisco IP Phones 7945G and 7911G,  and Cisco Unified Wireless IP Phones 7925G.  In addition, all building controls and physical security were added to the network.
• Location-based services with radio frequency identification tracking is available to locate hospital assets and assist in the safety of patients and staff.
• The Cisco Medical-Grade Network facilitates and integrates diverse business and clinical communications throughout the continuum of care, providing anytime, anywhere information capture and access for wired and wireless applications and devices. The network supports data, voice and video networks and enables the transfer and storage of the large amounts of data created by health care applications. The Cisco Medical-Grade Networks supports the unique information, technology, bandwidth and integration challenges of health care while providing identity- and policy-based security from inside the network to beyond organizational walls.

Supporting Quotes:

• Jeff Weeks, chief information officer, Sault Area Hospital

“The nature and future of health care is changing, and our vision for the new Sault Area Hospital has been to lead that change. With tremendous support from government and our technology partners, we are delighted to have built this leading-edge facility for northern Ontario. The expertise of our partners has allowed us to build in future-proof networking technology from the blueprint level, helping us to deliver new and innovative services to our patients, clinical staff and community.”

• Brantz Myers, director, Healthcare Business Development, Cisco Canada

“Providing the best health care requires visionary thinking. Sault Area Hospital has built an enviable service-delivery platform for patients, staff and guests, providing a new level of care and access to residents in the Algoma region. It is a tremendous example of what can be accomplished by combining Connected Real Estate expertise and IT best practices to create a truly Smart Healthcare Facility .”

• Stephen Foster, director of ICT services, EllisDon Corp.

“The construction process was truly a collaborative effort.  The hospital recognized the value of incorporating ICT solutions early on in the construction planning phase to boost the efficiency of hospital systems and processes, improve patient care, and maximize budget by providing the best solutions for the hospital.  We were able to ensure the IT systems were working to support the hospital and that they were delivered on time and on budget. “

• Peter Stavropoulos, CEO, FlexITy Solutions Inc.

“Sault Area Hospital is a visionary facility with one of the most comprehensive network solutions of its kind in Canada – one that supports the hospital’s vision of providing excellence in health care.”

Tags, Keywords:

Sault Area Hospital, Cisco, EllisDon, FlexITy, medical-grade network, 802.11n, telemedicine

About EllisDon

EllisDon is an employee-owned company delivering construction expertise and services to clients throughout the world. Completing in excess of $2 billion in new construction annually, EllisDon employs approximately 1,000 people and has a presence in North America, as well as offices in the West Indies and the United Arab Emirates. Incorporated in 1951, EllisDon has distinguished itself through its people and its innovative practices. Offering not only construction and project management but now a growing range of construction consulting services in risk management and technology, EllisDon is behind some of the most exciting and innovative projects in the world. For more information, please visit www.ellisdon.com.

About FlexITy

FlexITy Solutions Incorporated is a leading provider of voice, data, and converged and managed services for businesses throughout Canada. FlexITy’s approach aligns best practices with its industry acumen to deliver unprecedented results for their clients, reducing costs and optimizing critical infrastructure management. FlexITy offers a broad range of products and services including infrastructure design, implementation and support, security and compliance solutions, Unified Communications, Managed Services and Data Centre integration including enterprise storage, virtualization, and disaster recovery. FlexITy’s products and services are trusted by leading healthcare organizations, financial service firms and telecommunications providers, ranging in size from mid-sized companies to the Fortune 500. FlexITy is headquartered in Richmond Hill, Ontario, with consultants throughout Canada. Experienced People. Advanced technologies. Powered by Passion. For more information, visit www.flexity.ca or call 866.779.FLEX (3539).

About Cisco

Cisco, (NASDAQ:CSCO, news, filings), is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to News@Cisco and News@Cisco Canada.

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