Network To Connect Hospital Locations

Rochester, NY - Greenwich Hospital, a 174-bed community hospital serving lower Fairfield County Connecticut and Westchester County New York, has selected Fibertech Networks to provide a private, dark fiber optic network connecting its locations in Greenwich and Stamford, CT. Financial terms of the agreement has not been disclosed.

A major academic affiliate of Yale University School of Medicine and a member of the Yale New Haven Health System, Greenwich Hospital was seeking to strengthen its communications and IT capabilities through the use of direct fiber optic connections.

According to James Weeks, CIO for Greenwich Hospital, this new network is the first phase of a multi-layered approach to enhance its communications infrastructure and integrate technology among its facilities. Greenwich's broader technology strategy will accommodate all-digital Picture Archive and Communications System (PACS) for radiology applications and disaster recovery/data backup efforts.

"We are committed to continuously improving the health and well being of our patients through the use of new technology," said Weeks. "From reducing our administrative costs to providing us with a reliable and redundant communications system, the network from Fibertech strengthens our vision of providing service excellence and exceptional care to everyone we serve."

Added Nassir Nizami, Senior Network Engineer/Security Officer for Greenwich Hospital, "Fibertech was able to provide us with the necessary bandwidth through dark fiber optics that is not readily available through traditional telecommunications operators. This network provides the most reliable and redundant solution to support our PACS system, as well as other critical data applications."

In deploying this network, Fibertech will utilize a small portion of its own nearly 1,300-mile fiber optic backbone in Connecticut. Remaining connections into Greenwich Hospital buildings require additional construction by Fibertech.

In addition to Greenwich Hospital, Fibertech serves numerous healthcare organizations including Baystate Health System in Massachusetts, Community Health System in Indianapolis, and Catholic Health System in Buffalo. The company also connects other business customers including financial, education and government agencies looking to manage their own network facilities. Fibertech brings "dark" fiber optic cables directly to local business locations and the customer connects their own electronics to "light" the fibers on the network.

"Patient confidentiality, large data record transfers and new advances in medical equipment have reshaped the role of information technology within the health care industry," said Mike Hurley, Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Fibertech. "To better move and manage its data requirements, a dark fiber optic network provides healthcare systems including Greenwich Hospital with the most cost-effective, scaleable infrastructure to meet growing bandwidth needs."

SOURCE: Fibertech Networks