Wireless at FSLH

After months of planning and installation, wireless Internet is now accessible throughout the Faxton Campus and is in the works at the St. Luke’s Campus. The wireless network not only allows for better care and maintenance of patients and their records, but also provides free Internet service to patients and visitors. It is currently used in the Emergency Department for bedside registration as well as nursing documentation, which is part of the Clinical Information System (Eclipsys). In the future, Faxton-St. Luke’s Healthcare (FSLH) staff will also use the wireless technology to collect patient vitals - facilitating a faster, more efficient workplace.Requests from patients and their family members for wireless Internet is one of the many reasons FSLH decided it was time wireless technology was installed. FSLH is currently the only hospital in the area to offer wireless Internet to patients and families. “It is really nice for patients as well as their visitors to be able to use the Internet without leaving the patient’s room,” said Don Parlagreco, Team Lead/Network Analyst for NDS. “It is difficult for family members and friends to take time off from work to care for a loved one who is in the hospital, so this is just one more step that FSLH has taken to make their lives easier and visits more comfortable.” Patients in the Dialysis Unit find the wireless Internet a valuable amenity to have. With most patients coming in for Dialysis a few times a week for four to five hours at a time, the wireless Internet helps pass the time. Fred Testa has been coming to the Faxton Campus for Dialysis for one year and takes advantage of the Internet while he is in for treatment.“Anything that makes your time go faster while you are in for Dialysis is a bonus,” Testa said. “My nephew plays hockey and his games are broadcasted on the Internet, so it is great that I can come to Faxton and not have to miss watching his games. I never come to Dialysis without my computer.” The wireless network set up and installation at Faxton took two months, and now that it is complete, the wireless network should be up and running at St. Luke’s by the end of June. At the Faxton Campus, the wireless is installed everywhere but in the private physician offices. At St. Luke’s, it will be accessible everywhere except the Professional Office Building.The wireless network is an advancement FSLH has made to keep up with the latest technology to offer the best care possible to patients. “It is an expensive system to install and maintain, but we believe the benefits will definitely outweigh the cost,” Parlagreco said. For more information about the wireless network, call FSLH Communications and Marketing Department at (315) 624-5600.