Bridgepoint Health joins Tenet Computer Group and George Brown College in launching innovative emergency preparedness software

Advanced crisis simulations to help manage risk through innovative mobile technology

TORONTO, March 9 /CNW/ - In a collaborative move to bring emergency preparedness to mobile devices, Toronto-based Bridgepoint Health has partnered with Tenet Computer Group Inc. and George Brown College to test and implement Tenet's emergency management software. Tenet's PINpoint^™ for BlackBerry^® is an application that allows healthcare providers to rapidly disseminate information related to breaking public crises in an effort to contain and mitigate damage, injury and death.

Two successful assessment runs took place during the summer and fall of 2010 at Bridgepoint Hospital, a division of Bridgepoint Health, and George Brown College's School of Emergency Management simulation center - the only facility of its kind in Canada. As a critical component of the test phase, a pandemic event simulation was developed to provide a highly realistic scenario to gauge the response of key hospital departments and administrators throughout the development stages of a crisis.

"We were very fortunate to have Bridgepoint Health on-board as a partner to help assess our solution, and George Brown's support for the implementation, testing and pandemic simulation has been a critical component in the application's success," said Carlos Paz-Soldan, President of Tenet Computer Group Inc. "This partnership provided us with the opportunity to test very real scenarios that require emergency response in a hospital setting, such as the H1N1 outbreak or even an event like Hurricane Katrina, helping to mitigate the risk of a crisis."

Tenet's PINpoint application facilitates cooperation and coordination during emergencies, by ensuring that users always have up-to-date information stored in their BlackBerry smartphones, including critical documents and contact lists. PINpoint automatically collects information from internal or external systems, and pushes it to designated BlackBerry smartphones. Pushed information is stored in the BlackBerry smartphones' cache memory, thus ensuring that it will be available when users need it, even if systems are down or unreachable.

George Brown College's School of Emergency Management and its Emergency Operations Centre were used to simulate and test the application capabilities with Bridgepoint.

"George Brown College is committed to playing a vital role supporting innovation in the Greater Toronto Area, and this collaboration with Tenet not only benefits Bridgepoint as a key business partner, but has the potential to play a significant role in helping the community save lives and mitigate the effects of emergencies," said Robert Luke, Assistant Vice President, George Brown College's Office of Applied Research and Innovation. "In assessing the design and utility of the application in a controlled environment, we were able to pinpoint key benefits and potential gaps to help our partners improve their ability to respond swiftly to critical situations."

The collaboration with Bridgepoint is the first tangible result of Tenet's partnership with George Brown College, which is funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Colleges Network for Industry Innovation (CONII). It is the latest initiative of George Brown College's Office of Applied Research and Innovation, fulfilling its mission to assist small and medium enterprises in expediting the development, refinement and marketing of new technologies and services.

"As a healthcare provider that works on the front line of events such as the recent H1N1 outbreak, Bridgepoint has a critical role to play in helping to minimize and prevent the spread of infectious disease. We welcome the opportunity to help assess and implement innovative technology that will help us manage this kind of risk," said Jane Merkley, Vice President and Chief Nursing Executive, Bridgepoint Health. "With the help of Tenet and George Brown, we are bringing together the best in technology innovation, research and education in order to build a stronger, healthier community."

About Bridgepoint Health

Bridgepoint Health is Canada's leader in the prevention and management of complex chronic disease and disability. Affiliated with the University of Toronto, Bridgepoint Health is restoring lives through innovations in care, research and teaching. For more information, visit www.bridgepointhealth.ca

About Tenet Computer Group Inc.

Established in 1984, Tenet Computer Group Inc. is a Toronto-based provider of information technology solutions for government, hospitals and corporations, including Mobile I.T. solutions sold around the world.  For more information about Tenet Computer Group Inc., visit www.tenet.com and www.tenetMobile.com

About George Brown College With nine out of 10 graduates hired within six months of graduation, Toronto's George Brown College has established a reputation for equipping students with the skills, industry experience and credentials to pursue the careers of their choice. From its two main campuses located across the downtown core, George Brown offers nearly 160 programs across a wide variety of professions to a student body of 60,000 (including those enrolled in full-time, part-time and continuing education programs). Students can earn diplomas, post-graduate certificates, industry accreditations, apprenticeships and four-year bachelor degrees. For more information, please visit www.georgebrown.ca.

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