System allows instant tracking of hospital capacity

PAWTUCKET, R.I. --Emergency workers can instantly track patient capacity in Rhode Island hospitals under a new program that's been in the works since rescue workers scrambled to find places for people injured during The Station nightclub fire.

The Web-based program enables emergency responders and medical staff to check the number of beds in hospitals and tell officials if they need to send patients elsewhere.

Officials hope the system, which went live on Wednesday, will help them determine the best place to take patients in the event of an emergency. The need for a better way to track patients was apparent after the 2003 nightclub fire that killed 100 people and injured 200 more.

Officials say the computers have been placed in every state emergency room and command center. They've also been placed the VA Medical Center and the Narragansett Indian Health Center, according to Dr. L. Anthony Cirillo, chief of the Health Department's center for emergency preparedness and response.

The system is connected to regional emergency dispatch centers. It will allow rescue workers to bypass time-consuming phone calls to hospitals and instead check the computer to determine where hospital beds are available.

The $200,000 program was funded by the Department of Homeland Security.

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Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.projo.com/