In Riverside County, California, one of the 32 states where the H1N1 pandemic continues to be widespread, there were 2478 hospitalizations/reported cases and 30 deaths from H1N1 as of December 16, 2009, and at press time, that number was still climbing. Riverside is the state’s fastest growing county and fifth largest in the country.
“The system makes a huge difference for me as well. Before using LiveProcess, I’d have to call or send e-mails to each hospital to get data and then compile all that information manually. Now I have a central location to collect, store and disseminate critical information.”
“Our hospitals are inundated with suspected and confirmed H1N1 patients,” said Ramon Leon, Hospital Preparedness Program Coordinator for the Riverside County Community Health Agency. “During a normal flu season, emergency rooms are busy, though 2009 H1N1 activity has taken that to a new level.”
The county’s community health agency uses an Internet-based communications platform developed by Verona, NJ-based LiveProcess to manage the flow of information among the county’s 15 hospitals; a tool Leon said has proven to be invaluable.
When the first H1N1 wave hit in April, Riverside County used the platform to create an “event log,” a resource that emergency preparedness officials employ to keep hospitals, public agencies and first responders connected during a crisis. Leon used the tool to post questions, disseminate news and query hospitals about inventory. “Personal protective equipment was highly requested,” Leon said. “When the hospitals were unable to get these materials from their normal suppliers, they typically sought assistance from the county.”
“The hospitals loved getting information via the web because the system was always ‘on’ and the information they needed was in one place,” he added. “The system makes a huge difference for me as well. Before using LiveProcess, I’d have to call or send e-mails to each hospital to get data and then compile all that information manually. Now I have a central location to collect, store and disseminate critical information.”