services and telemedicine
PLEASANTON, Calif., June 13 /-/ -- Polycom, Inc., (Nasdaq: PLCM), the world's leading provider of unified collaborative solutions, today announced that Medical Missions for Children was awarded the Computerworld Honors Program 21st Century Achievement Award in the Non-Profit Organizations category. Computerworld Honors is the longest running global program to honor individuals and organizations that use information technology to benefit society. In all, the organization received nearly 400 awards submissions for 2007.
Medical Missions was recognized at the 19th Annual Gala Awards Evening held June 4 in Washington, D.C. for its work in transferring medical knowledge from physicians in North America to healthcare providers in medically underserved countries around the world using the latest in video conferencing communications technology. AmigoLatino, a Polycom customer that uses video conferencing technology to connect immigrants in the United States with their families in Latin America for virtual face-to-face family reunions, was also selected as one of five finalists in the Media, Arts and Entertainment category.
"The Computerworld Honors Program is such a prestigious awards competition. Polycom became a Chairmen's Committee Member this year and had the honor of nominating our customers for recognition," said Bob Hagerty, chairman and CEO of Polycom. "We extend our heartfelt congratulations to each of the seven Polycom Laureates that were selected including AmigoLatino as finalist and Medical Missions for Children as winner in their respective categories. We are extremely proud when our collaborative communications solutions are used to improve the lives of people around the world."
Frank Brady founded Medical Mission for Children (MMC) in 1999 and today it is a four-star, multiple-award winning charity located at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital in Paterson , NJ. It operates the Global Telemedicine Teaching Network in 100 countries, distributes education and information via a global satellite and IP TV network called the Medical Broadcasting Channel and a Global Video Library of Medicine, and entertains some of the sickest children through its Giggles Children's Theater. MMC has directly affected the lives of thousands of children living in medically underserved nations and indirectly helps millions more by speeding the transfer of medical knowledge.
AmigoLatino CEO Gabriel Biguria knows firsthand the pain of leaving family behind to immigrate to the United States and has made it his life's work to help repair the bonds broken by time and distance for families separated by immigration. In 2000 he launched AmigoLatino, a company that connects immigrants in the United States with their families in Latin America live and in real-time using Polycom video conferencing technology. For a nominal conference cost, Biguria's AmigoLive service has connected more than 5,000 families.
In addition to Medical Missions for Children and AmigoLatino, another five Polycom customers achieved Laureate status in the Honors Program competition, including:
Global Nomads Group -- A non-profit organization that, since 1998, has organized live student video exchanges on international issues, ranging from the war in Iraq and genocide in Rwanda and Sudan to world religions and the global HIV/AIDS crisis. Through its programs, Global Nomads Group has educated and inspired young people, preparing them to be active, informed citizens of a global society as well as agents for positive social change.
The IT Department, Inc. -- Based in Ottawa, Canada, The IT Department(R) offers outsourced IT services to a wide range of customers and supports several charities in Canada with network infrastructure and Voice over IP (VoIP) services at minimal or no cost. The company recently equipped the Evangelical Medical Center in Lubango, Angola with a Polycom VoIP telephone system that allows connections to the outside world for medical advice at virtually no cost. Norman Henderson, president of The IT Department raised funds for the project, negotiated product discounts, donated several hundred service hours, and personally oversaw the system installation in Lubango. Henderson now plans to leverage the VoIP network infrastructure to deploy Polycom video collaboration solutions that will enable telemedicine consultations and medical education.
Johns Hopkins Medicine, Center for Clinical Global Health Education -- The goal of the Center for Clinical Global Health Education (CCGHE) is to improve the quality of care that patients in developing countries receive directly from their own healthcare providers. Dr. Robert Bollinger, CCGHE director, led the creation of a video telemedicine network based on Polycom video conferencing solutions that delivers Johns Hopkins expertise and research to the poorest corners of the world, free of charge. Since 2005, the Center has been delivering online clinical training courses to physicians in India and supplementing the online experience with live, video conference question and answer sessions between course participants and experts at Johns Hopkins. These live, interactive sessions contribute to improved clinical decision making skills abroad and, ultimately, improved health outcomes for patients.
The Language Access Network -- According to data from the 2002 Commonwealth Fund study, there are more than 21 million limited-English speaking people in the United States and 28,000 deaths per year in this country occur because of medical translation errors. It is the mission of Columbus, Ohio-based Language Access Network (LAN) to change the medical interpretation landscape using Polycom video collaboration technology and, in doing so, reduce the toll of medical translation errors. LAN offers hospitals a secure language interpretation service over its two-way dedicated video connection on a 24x7 basis in more than 150 languages.
Ontario Telemedicine Network -- Canada's Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) is an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care that uses advanced information technologies, Polycom video collaboration solutions and electronic medical devices to support the delivery of clinical care, professional education and health-related administrative services. With a presence at nearly 400 sites across Ontario, OTN is one of the busiest and most comprehensive telemedicine programs in Canada. At OTN, video conferencing reduces the time, cost and risk of travel for patients, families and health care providers; enables the inclusion of family and local clinical supports, regardless of physical location; provides access to specialists and to emergency care that would otherwise be unavailable; and facilitates improved coordination of care, reducing the need for patient transfers between health care facilities and improving the continuity of care across the health care system.
About the Computerworld Honors Program
Founded by International Data Group (IDG) in 1988, the Computerworld Honors Program is governed by the not-for-profit Computerworld Information Technology Awards Foundation. In its 19th year, Computerworld Honors is the longest running global program to honor individuals and organizations that use information technology to benefit society.
About Polycom
Polycom, Inc. is the worldwide leader in unified collaborative communications (UCC) that maximize the efficiency and productivity of people and organizations by integrating the broadest array of high definition video, wired and wireless voice, and content solutions to deliver the ultimate collaborative experience. Polycom's high quality, standards-based conferencing and collaboration solutions are easy to deploy and manage, as well as intuitive to use. Supported by an open architecture, they integrate seamlessly with leading telephony, workplace wireless telephony, and presence-based networks. With its market driving technologies, best-in-class products, alliance partnerships, and world-class service, Polycom is the smart choice for organizations seeking proven solutions and a competitive advantage from on-demand communications and collaboration. For additional information, call 800-POLYCOM or visit the Polycom web site at http://www.polycom.com.
Polycom, and the Polycom logo are registered trademarks of Polycom in the U.S. and various countries. (C)2007, Polycom, Inc. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
