ORLANDO, Fla. – Nortel Networks* [NYSE/TSX: NT] announced a series of converged network deployments at healthcare facilities throughout the United States and Canada, demonstrating its continued momentum in the healthcare market. The announcement was made at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Annual Conference and Exhibition.

• Hartford Hospital – This Hartford, Conn. healthcare provider is implementing an encompassing network infrastructure from Nortel Networks. Hartford Hospital is deploying PACS with an underlying infrastructure based on Nortel Networks BayStack* 5510 switches as the Layer 2 distribution system and Passport 8600 Routing Switches in the core. This unique design leverages split multi-link trunking to provide network connectivity without application disruption in the event of a core link or core switch failure. Hartford Hospital is also deploying additional enterprise products from Nortel Networks, including Nortel Networks Contivity* switches and NetID, a distributed, fault tolerant DHCP and DNS server.
• Erlanger Health Systems – Erlanger is using a wireless local area network (LAN) solution from Nortel Networks to support a large-scale deployment of mobile nursing carts. Nurses can perform such functions as ordering tests, treatments and medications, and entering new data right from a patient’s bedside. This is expected to help improve both patient care and nursing staff productivity. Erlanger Health Systems also uses converged voice, data and network management solutions from Nortel Networks.
• Centre hospitalier Pierre-Le Gardeur – Recognizing the need for scalable, reliable and secure communications, this Repentigny, Quebec-based healthcare provider is deploying converged enterprise solutions from Nortel Networks as it moves into a new building. These solutions will include Nortel Networks Succession* IP Telephony, wireless LAN, security, Nortel Networks Symposium* Call Center, Nortel Networks CallPilot* unified messaging, and a redundant data networking infrastructure. Nortel Networks secure wireless voice and data solutions will be used to protect digital patient information.
• Calgary Health Region – This healthcare provider has deployed Nortel Networks IP contact center solutions after completing the largest telephone system upgrade in Calgary history. The new contact center serves as a triage point, allowing qualified healthcare professionals to provide initial advice to patients at home. This is expected to benefit patients by reducing the number of expensive emergency room visits and hospital admissions. Calgary Health Region also deployed Nortel Networks Business Communications Manager solutions in its community health clinics. This gives the clinics access to the contact center’s IP network, CallPilot voice mail services, and future IP Telephony and rich media functionality.
• The Credit Valley Hospital – A long-standing Nortel Networks customer, The Credit Valley Hospital of Mississauga, Ontario has deployed Succession 1000 to complement a Meridian PBX solution that has been in use since the hospital’s inception. The Credit Valley Hospital also deployed 550 Nortel Networks Internet telephones to help facilitate admissions and discharges. These converged IP solutions help position the hospital to reduce the costs of moves, adds and changes, and offer the freedom to add new applications as needed. The Credit Valley Hospital plans to use Nortel Networks solutions as it expands into new buildings in 2004.
• University of Pennsylvania Health System (UPHS) – This healthcare system, which includes the first hospital and first medical school established in the United States, has deployed an Optical Ethernet solution from Nortel Networks to connect multiple hospitals and clinics in Philadelphia and the surrounding area. This solution provides Gigabit Ethernet capability, which is helping UPHS to realize as much as a 20-fold increase in available bandwidth. Gigabit Ethernet allows UPHS staff to instantaneously share patient records and bandwidth intensive diagnostic tools like PACS. The ability to leverage the expertise of UPHS healthcare staff within minutes, regardless of location, will ultimately lead to increased levels of patient care and better use of medical resources.
• Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center – This healthcare provider relies on a data communications infrastructure from Nortel Networks to provide security, performance and reliability for all networking applications. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital was recently recognized with the prestigious Nicholas E. Davies Award of Excellence for 2003 from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) for its Integrating Clinical Information System computerized patient care system.