North Shore-LIJ, one of the largest health care systems in the United States, has deployed Mutualink's secure communications platform in 15 hospitals and one mobile unit. Mutualink's Interoperable Response and Preparedness Platform (IRAPP) enables North Shore-LIJ's hospitals to share voice, video, data and text communications in real time within the health system, as well as with police, fire, EMS, Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) and other entities in emergency situations.

As the largest private employer in New York State facing more than 200 emergencies each year, North Shore-LIJ has implemented sophisticated, integrated emergency preparedness efforts to protect its employees and patients.

Mutualink further extends these security measures by serving as a gateway for disparate radio and data systems throughout the North Shore-LIJ system, allowing all parties to connect and share resources to improve situational awareness. The health system can also link to external parties with the Mutualink platform, including police, fire, and the Nassau Office of Emergency Management (OEM).

Mutualink's IRAPP is a secure, multimedia communications-sharing platform for first responders and Critical Infrastructure and Key Resource (CIKR) organizations, such as hospitals, transit authorities, utilities, and other entities.

The IRAPP enables an unprecedented level of cross-agency collaboration by linking diverse communications assets with an easy-to-use and affordable IP-based peer-to-peer network. The platform is secure and sovereign, meaning that participants maintain full control over their resources and decide when and with whom to share them.

"With an entirely mobile workforce, we needed a system that could bridge our communications securely and in real time, and the Mutualink system offers those features and many more that we're already utilizing on a daily basis," said James Romagnoli, Vice President, Protective Services, North Shore-LIJ.

"We encourage our partner agencies in New York to join the IRAPP so we can share resources when needed and provide the best possible security for our community."North-Shore LIJ is using Mutualink for daily operations - in emergency and non-emergency scenarios - to improve communications and situational awareness.

Examples include:

+ Connecting different radio systems throughout North Shore-LIJ for daily operations

+ Facilitating interoperability between different data systems

+ The IRAPP is used as a crisis network during a disaster, connecting the command center, EMS agencies, hospitals, and other entities with two-way communications

+ Enabling hospital interconnectivity, seamlessly linking hospitals communications systems

+ Linking North-Shore LIJ to critical external agencies, such as police, fire, and Nassau OEM-

Mutualink serves as a hub for North Shore-LIJ's integrated communications systems "The IRAPP is stronger with the participation of entities like North Shore-LIJ, who are taking a leadership role in implementing emergency preparedness measures," said Colin McWay, President of Mutualink.

"Nearly 100 hospitals nationwide are using Mutualink to establish a direct link to first responders, and we look forward to others following North Shore-LIJ's lead."