Glendale Adventist Patients Get Wired

Glendale Adventist Medical Center has teamed up with Novell and IBM to provide computer services with Internet access to their patients and patients’ families. The Internet access will be available in every room of the center, and the services will be extended through wireless access to patients, physicians and staff via laptop computers throughout several other areas in the facility. The medical center also plans to implement a patient-specific portal where information about chronic diseases and other health conditions will be delivered to patients and health care advocates inside the medical facility. IBM donated the hardware to support the project. According to Sharon Correa, director of telecommunications at Glendale Adventist, the new computer access will empower patients with information related to healing. In addition, it will lessen anxiety for clients’ family members by enabling communication with other family members.