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For Immediate Release:
Contact: Dan Shomon, (312) 578-0450
November 11, 2002
Chicago Health Department contracts with Electronic Knowledge Interchange
(EKI) to develop emergency health alert system
System could be first line of defense against bio-terrorism
or diseases such as West Nile Virus
Chicago-based information technology firm Electronic Knowledge Interchange,
Inc. (EKI) has been hired by the Chicago Department of Public Health to
develop and implement the city's new Health Alert Network (HAN), a system
designed to empower the city to respond quickly to public health and bio-terrorism
threats.
By providing a secure and efficient link between the Chicago Department
of Public Health (CDPH) and public health partners, the federally funded
HAN system will allow for critical information and documentation to be
transmitted quickly between agencies in the public health community. The
HAN will serve as both an early warning notification system between CDPH
and public health partners for outbreaks of disease and the routine sharing
of information among those partners. The HAN will allow these individuals
to respond quickly to an outbreak or other type of adverse health event.
"In light of the nationwide attention on bio-terrorism and the growth
of the West Nile virus, it is crucial for Chicago and major cities throughout
the country to have easy-to-use systems to rapidly issue health alerts
and notifications to thousands of health and emergency agencies and personnel,"
said Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner John Wilhelm, M.D.
The health alert network program is funded by the Centers for Disease Control.
The CDPH intends for the initial implementation of the HAN to include specified
CDPH personnel, infection control personnel in Chicago hospitals emergency
rooms, the Illinois Department of Public Health Laboratory and eight other
regional local health departments. Other users will include key first responders
such as Fire, Police, the 911 Center, FBI and other partners in a response
to a bio-terrorist attack.
"We are honored to partner with the Chicago Department of Public Health
on this very important project to Chicago and the health community,"
said EKI President and CEO Robert Blackwell Jr.
Electronic Knowledge Interchange, a five-year-old Chicago firm, is an industry-leading
electronic solutions provider (technology consultant) that specializes
in delivering technology solutions with measurable business benefits in
a time-critical fashion -- essential in today's competitive marketplace.
EKI has provided a wide range of successful solutions for a growing list
of satisfied clients, including the State of Ohio, Motorola, Bank One,
Kraft Foods, Sears, Abbott Laboratories and Morton's of Chicago. EKI previously
designed and implemented the City of Chicago's online payment center, and
is currently developing the city's Web portal.
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