NIHS has executed the contract for the Real Time Decision Support System for Health Care and Public Health Sector Protection Project

Date:  January 29, 2010

NIHS has executed the contract for the Real Time Decision Support System for Health Care and Public Health Sector Protection Project. This project will be led by Dr. Sunderesh Heragu with the University of Louisville. 

Dr. Heragu  has formed a project team comprising experts in logistics, operations research, health care delivery, and emergency response. This team will develop a real time decision support system to meet the needs of the HPH sector. This work will start with development of a systems requirements document to guide the development. Then methods of secure information exchange for medical surge capacity management will be developed. Finally, the team will work with medical care providers to evaluate the impact of the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), as outlined by CDC, OSHA, and IOM, on the ability of the healthcare workforce to comply and thereby protect themselves.

"We are thrilled to be able to apply the analytical and simulation modeling expertise as well as public health modeling expertise available at the Logistics and Distribution Institute, in the Industrial Engineering department at the Speed School and the School of Public Health and Information Sciences at the University of Louisville to solve important healthcare logistics problems, especially those that arise in the aftermath of a pandemic attack. " --Dr. Heragu

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The Challenge

The task of assuring the security of our homeland involves protecting the citizens of the United States, the nation's critical infrastructure and key assets. This is necessary to sustain the nation's vitality against terrorism and other threats. This protection must originate at the community level. It requires discovering, developing and deploying new technology that will support first responders and key decision makers in local communities.

The Mission

NIHS' mission is to discover, develop and deploy solutions that protect and preserve the critical infrastructure of the nation's communities.

The Institute

NIHS aligns projects and research objectives with the needs and requirements of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The strategy is to manage a distributed research enterprise that effectively transitions research and development into solutions. NIHS works with DHS to determine technology needs at the community level. Then, teams are quickly assembled from multiple universities to develop solutions to the needs.

The Strategy

Through management of the Kentucky Critical Infrastructure Protections Program (KCI), the National Institute for Hometown Security (NIHS) provides an ongoing, integrated program dedicated to developing new technologies and devices. NIHS works through qualified academic institutions to accomplish the technological objectives.