Canton-Potsdam Hospital, and four other small, rural hospitals located in northern New York State know that the new millennium is an era when high speed Internet accessibility is mission-critical to sustain their ability to deliver high-quality health care. In order to secure the necessary high-bandwidth Internet access, CPH will lease a T1 line to the Internet and install the gateway and security equipment at its hub located in Potsdam, NY. The proposed equipment design will allow CPH?s Information Technology staff to administer and manage Internet accessibility to its own main and satellite facilities, as well as the four other hospitals, all located at various points within a 75-mile radius of the hub. The overall drive of this project, in keeping with their motivation to cooperate in the past, is to realize the economies of scale that result from a multi-institutional effort. High-speed Internet access would be too costly and too demanding on one hospital?s resources. Together they can share the knowledge, experience, resources and costs that are required to secure and maintain 24x7, high-bandwidth Internet access. Together, they too can share the rewards. Limited Internet access under the hospitals? current infrastructure is crippling the medical, clinical and administrative staffs? need to communicate with associated colleagues around the world, transfer data, locate medical research publications and meet State and federal reporting requirements. The improvements realized from this project will put the information these professions need at their fingertips.
