Hospital Association Strengthens its Emergency Preparedness Network with Hughes Satellite Broadband

GERMANTOWN, Md., Sept. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hospital Association of Southern California (HASC) is bringing fast and reliable emergency preparedness communications to hospitals and first responders in California, thanks in part to a new high-speed satellite broadband network from Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite networks and services.

HASC's ReddiNet connects more than 300 hospitals, emergency response organizations, and public health officials throughout 13 California counties, carrying time-sensitive data for both daily operations and crisis situations. Hughes is upgrading HASC's ReddiNet emergency medical communications systems at hundreds of sites with a private managed network using its award-winning SPACEWAY® 3 satellite system, the world's first with on-board switching and routing, enabling high-speed, site-to-site connectivity. The advanced Hughes solution provides much needed extra capacity and higher reliability for everything from tracking a pandemic flu outbreak and managing mass casualty events, to secure messaging and hospital bed availability.

According to Cathy Winans, senior vice president of medical communication systems, the Hughes solution gives HASC an important competitive advantage over other commercial emergency preparedness vendors—with multiple, varied communication channels supporting the entire system.

"We will have the most extensive network of hospitals in the country utilizing satellite technology as part of a redundant emergency communications system," Winans said. "And because the network is fully managed by Hughes, my staff can now focus their efforts on enhancing and developing new applications instead of diverting their efforts to terrestrial network problems. Satellite broadband has really come of age for our needs, offering increased reliability, security, and affordability."

The robust Hughes solution replaces a slower network of mountaintop-based microwave radios, which were also more vulnerable to outages due to adverse weather and disaster conditions. HASC now has much greater bandwidth to share critical data among a wider network of emergency responders, including high-resolution graphics such as diagnostic images and maps, and to develop and operate more sophisticated applications.

"Hughes is proud to be working with HASC to enhance the quality and capacity of its emergency preparedness and response capabilities. Reliable communications are essential to any healthcare system, and SPACEWAY 3 is the ideal platform for these kinds of mission-critical managed broadband services," said Peter Pardee, vice president of business development and healthcare solutions for Hughes.

About Hospital Association of Southern California

The Hospital Association of Southern California (HASC), founded in 1923, is a not-for-profit regional trade association comprising hospitals and health systems, related professional associations and associate members with a common interest in improving the operating environment for hospitals and improving the health status of the communities they serve. HASC represents 157 hospitals operating in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, and Ventura counties. HASC works in partnership with the California Hospital Association (CHA) promoting the voice of members on state and federal issues.

About Hughes Network Systems

Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the global leader in providing broadband satellite networks and services for large enterprises, governments, small businesses, and consumers. HughesNet® encompasses all broadband solutions and managed services from Hughes, bridging the best of satellite and terrestrial technologies. Its broadband satellite products are based on global standards approved by the TIA, ETSI and ITU standards organizations, including IPoS/DVB-S2, RSM-A and GMR-1. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 2.2 million systems to customers in over 100 countries.

Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes maintains sales and support offices worldwide. Hughes is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hughes Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: HUGH). For additional information, please visit www.hughes.com.

©2010 Hughes Network Systems, LLC. Hughes, HughesNet, and SPACEWAY are registered trademarks of Hughes Network Systems, LLC.

SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC