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Cisco, EllisDon and FlexITy Solutions partner for digital component at Sault Area Hospital

March 23, 2011 | By Alyssa Dalton


March 23, 2011

Cisco, EllisDon and FlexITy Solutions, a Cisco Gold Certified and Master
Unified Communications Specialized Partner, have teamed up to help make
Sault Area Hospital what they say is one of Canada’s most advanced
digital hospitals.

The hospital opened its doors to patients on March 6 and runs on a Cisco Medical-Grade Network, providing multiple services across one Internet Protocol (IP) network and allowing remote access to live high-definition video collaboration resources, and business and clinical communications between patients, administrators and partners, said Cisco. Similarly, specialists in other locations can provide expert advice during surgeries, and videos can be used for teaching purposes.

The network utilizes 802.11n wireless technology to run bandwidth-intensive, multimedia applications, which can provide information to health care providers wherever they are in the facility, even at the bedside. According to Cisco, this technology also means more residents in the Algoma region will be able to receive the care they need without traveling long distances to larger city centres.

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“With tremendous support from government and our technology partners, we are delighted to have built this leading-edge facility for northern Ontario,” said Jeff Weeks, chief information officer, Sault Area Hospital. “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.”

“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,” added Brantz Myers, director, Healthcare Business Development, Cisco, Canada.

EllisDon
was the primary builder of the facility, while FlexITy Solutions served as the technology consultancy.

Designed by EllisDon’s Information and Communication Technology Service division, the Cisco IP-phone patient-bedside 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.

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.


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