HONOLULU (March 23, 2018) - Two major issues Tripler Army Medical Center, or TAMC, has often received complaints for have been a lack of Wi-Fi and the hospital's congested parking situation.
Recently, Information Management personnel of TAMC have installed and made available a network of Wi-Fi access for the use of its patients and patrons to facilitate their communication with family, friends, and co-workers on their personal devices.
"Can't help parking, but this will be a little help," said John Draude, project manager for the accomplishment and principle deputy of plans for TAMC Information Management Division.
"For many years, one of the most prevalent requests has been for TAMC to acquire commercial wireless access within the building for patients and their families," Draude continued. "Information Management took action to create a solution."
Due to security requirements for a government facility, it had been a struggle to create such a solution. Last year, the team finally broke the mold to be able to properly request commercial Internet access to be brought into the government facility and securely build an architecture that would allow them to present it to the hospital.
Draude put in a procurement request for the equipment and for the commercial Internet service to be brought in. He and his Information Management team received all of their approvals from the Defense Information Systems Agency in the mainland in order to provide this service; Guest Wi-Fi then went operational at TAMC on Thursday, March 15, 2018.
This first initiative will supply Wi-Fi access to 29 locations around the hospital; there are to be signs at each site and business cards on the front desks of each location displaying the network name and password. "Folks would access it just like they do with a commercial wireless access at Starbucks," said Draude.
Wi-Fi access has been requested across all of Medical Command, or MEDCOM; TAMC is one of the very first locations to get an approved solution in place.
"We worked very hard," said Lt. Col. Donna Beed, TAMC chief information officer. "I'm pleased and proud. We've already been asked to share what we did so that other facilities can copy what we've done. I was always saying that if we get it done, it may become the standard for MEDCOM."
[Guest W-Fi access is currently available at the following TAMC locations:
1A000A, Ocean Side Lobby
1D126, Family Practice Waiting Room (EWA Side)
1D527, Family Practice Waiting Room (DH Side)
2A004, Department of Surgery Clinic Waiting Room
2B502, Psychiatry Clinic (Behavioral Health)
2C306, Laser Eye Center Waiting Room
3A015, Cardiology Waiting Room
3C316, ENT/Audiology Waiting Area
3G401, Radiology Waiting Room
3H106, Emergency Department Waiting Room
3H501, Internal Medicine Clinic Waiting Room
3F507, Physical Therapy Waiting Room
4A021, Pulmonary Waiting Room
4F107, Orthopedics Clinic Waiting Room
4G214, Out Patient Pharmacy Waiting Room
4C312, Dermatology Waiting Area
4C504/506, Endocrine/Allergy Service Waiting Area
4F514, Pediatric Clinic Waiting Room
4G700D&E, Mountain Side Lobby
4G216, Out Patient Lab Waiting Room
4H508, OB/GYN Clinic Waiting Room
4H503, Medical Specialties Waiting Room
4H800E, Hematology/Oncology Clinic Area
6F309, Ultra Sound Waiting Room
6F506, Labor & Delivery Waiting Room
6G121, OR/Operating Rooms Waiting Area
6H511, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Waiting Room
7B, Pediatrics In-patient Ward
G1D129, Radiation Therapy Waiting Room]
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