On Nov. 17, Gannett Health Center opened up with a brand-new data and phone network. No longer are its clinicians slowed down waiting to retrieve patient records, process orders for lab work, schedule appointments or research treatment protocols using a 10-year-old network.
"Our network must run as effectively and efficiently as possible, so that we maximize the time we spend with each patient and minimize the time spent waiting for information," said Nianne VanFleet, associate director of nursing and clinical support services at Gannett.
As Gannett looks ahead to future options -- for example, implementing an entirely computer-based health records system, doing online consultations with physicians at other medical facilities or watching Weill Cornell Medical College "Grand Rounds" over the Internet -- the performance and reliability of the new network will become even more apparent, VanFleet added.
Gannett is the second of five buildings being completely rewired as a precursor to EzraNet, a proposal to rewire many campus buildings over the next several years. The others are the Holland International Living Center (completed) and Warren, Goldwin Smith and Myron Taylor halls (under way).
Most campus buildings have data and phone wiring that is 15 years old, ancient history in the technology world. The building networks connect some 30,000 computers and 700 other devices in 185 buildings.
"Rewiring a small number of buildings is critical to understanding the types of issues we'd face in the larger project and in developing cost estimates," said Jason Rhoades, communications products director at Cornell Information Technologies (CIT). "These five buildings represent a range of architectural challenges and usage patterns."
CIT has contracted LeChase Data/Telecom Services to survey the five buildings and determine how wiring would be routed through each. LeChase is working in collaboration with the building occupants, Planning, Design and Construction and Facilities Management.
"We're rewiring with category 6 twisted-pair copper wiring, putting in new pathways for the wiring and upgrading the networking equipment to switched-100 Mbps," said Tom Theimer, project consultant at CIT. "It's the most cost-effective way to greatly increase the performance of the networks right now. The work we're doing now will also make it easier and less costly to implement future technologies."
In Gannett, the crews worked in the late afternoon and overnight to minimize disruption to the health clinic's operations. Thirty-five miles of new wiring was installed in three months. At least double that amount was removed. The construction touched every floor, every single office.
"CIT and LeChase both did a fabulous job," said Wendy Busch, director of information systems at Gannett. "One evening we did the cutover for data connections. The next night the phones were transferred, and then right after that, LeChase ripped out all the old wiring -- not all recablers do that. For our clinicians, the transition was largely transparent."
"The project went very smoothly, thanks to good planning and weekly meetings between Gannett, CIT and LeChase," said Rick Franklin, network technical consultant at Gannett. "I'm very happy with the rewiring. Everything is laid out and labeled and documented properly now. Fixing things and making changes will be much easier than it was in the past."
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