HERNDON, Va., Jan. 13, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been selected by the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services' Division of Public Health to direct the installation and implementation of the Delaware Electronic Reporting Surveillance System (DERSS), a critical first step in the creation of a statewide, disease surveillance and management system.
As prime contractor of this $3.6-million, one-year contract, Northrop Grumman's Information Technology (IT) sector adds another disease surveillance initiative to its growing number of projects in support of homeland security. Northrop Grumman will work with Information Builders, a leader in web intelligence tools, and Visual Risk Technologies, experts in geographic information tools, to deliver a complete, customizable web interface with personalized access to public health officials. This will serve as an information repository and hub for a public health decision support system.
"The purpose of DERSS is to put in place a communication system to help safeguard the health and welfare of our citizens in case of a communicable disease outbreak or other threat to public health," said Leroy Hathcock, Ph.D., Delaware State Epidemiologist at the Division of Public Health. "When fully operational, DERSS can reduce the current reporting time from potentially two weeks to as little as 24 hours, saving valuable time between initial identification and the necessary investigation operations."
Using standards recommended by the National Electronic Disease Surveillance System developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Northrop Grumman will design and develop an integrated data repository for multiple public health information systems, a critical component of Delaware's plans to address early warning preparedness and the threats of bioterrorism. When completed, public officials can collect, integrate, and analyze public health data to quickly identify trends in reported symptoms that might indicate disease outbreaks or potential threats to the public.
"We are pleased to add DERSS to Northrop Grumman's growing number of disease surveillance projects," said Joe Fay, vice president, Public Technology Solutions, Commercial, State and Local Solutions, Northrop Grumman IT. "DERSS will enable us to offer our resources and experience in public health emergency preparedness and response at the state, local and federal levels to help speed the reporting of public health threats and communicable diseases across Delaware."
Dave Zolet, vice president, Homeland Security, Northrop Grumman Corporation, added, "DERSS is a good fit with other Northrop Grumman disease surveillance programs such as the Syndromic Surveillance System and the Environmental Public Health Tracking Assessment projects currently underway in the state of Montana, as well as current projects under Northrop Grumman's CDC Information Technology Support contract."
One of the world's largest information technology providers, Northrop Grumman successfully partners with federal, state and local agencies, bringing better service to the public with effective technology solutions. By building effective partnerships, Northrop Grumman is defining the technical future in key functional areas of public health, human services, public administration, taxation, labor and employment services, and public safety.
Northrop Grumman Information Technology, based in Herndon, Va., is one of the largest and trusted providers of IT services to the federal government and commercial customers. The company's expertise spans such areas as information systems integration; information technology security; homeland security; enterprise hardware and software solutions; training and simulation; base and range support; signals intelligence; health informatics; space systems; and specialized scientific, engineering and technical services.