RESTON, Va., Jan. 23, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- The U.S. Department of Defense began limited deployment of a Web-based health-information system, designed and developed by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC), to enhance occupational healthcare services and reduce health threats to military and civilian personnel.
The Defense Occupational and Environmental Health Readiness System-Industrial Hygiene (DOEHRS-IH) was created to support the collection, storage and analysis of information regarding occupational exposures, workplace environmental monitoring, personal protective equipment usage, work practices and employee health-hazard educational data. DOEHRS is a key enabling technology within the presidentially mandated Force Health Protection Program.
Fielding is now underway at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Ohio, and the U.S. Army's Fort Lewis, Wash. When fully operational, DOEHRS will serve all three military departments.
"DOEHRS-IH will enable field-level industrial hygienists and environmental-health personnel to collect and evaluate exposure data throughout the Defense Department and, therefore, provide the best treatment to Defense Department personnel," said Pamela J. Sullivan, vice president of the Information and Technical Solutions Division of Northrop Grumman's Mission Systems sector. "Northrop Grumman is proud to provide this important capability that improves healthcare delivery and supports national health-information infrastructure concepts."
Northrop Grumman Mission Systems began work on DOEHRS-IH in 2002. In September, the sector received contracts from the Resources Information Technology Program Office (RITPO) to continue developing and sustaining the system and to train users at the six initial deployment sites. RITPO is part of the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs.
Dr. William Winkenwerder, Jr., Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, granted Milestone C approval in August, authorizing system deployment.
In the field, environmental-health professionals and operational commanders will be able to access stored information and collect and input data directly into a personal computer tablet, which has the same look and feel as the Web-based system. DOEHRS-IH Mobile also features a synchronization capability so data can be exchanged when Internet connectivity is available.
Northrop Grumman Mission Systems, based in Reston, Va., is a global integrator of complex, mission-enabling systems and services for defense, intelligence and civil government markets. The sector's technology leadership and expertise spans areas such as strategic systems, including ICBMs; missile defense; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; command and control; and technical services and training.