Thats all I have, got it in email. I think that is where Indie is hope he is still around.
Oh I feel better now NOT. The bottom line is then it is too late.
Posted on Sat, Jun. 05, 2004
Ohio hospitals will help monitor for signs of terrorist attack
Associated Press
CINCINNATI - Hospitals in Ohio are joining with others to watch for signs of a terrorist attack, a move health officials say could play a vital role in early detection.
Some Cincinnati and Columbus health care centers will send information about emergency room patients to the University of Pittsburgh, where computers will monitor surges in rashes, respiratory illnesses and other symptoms that could signal a biological or chemical attack. Other hospitals around the state also are expected to join with the help of $330,000 in federal money.
"The faster we can identify an outbreak, the faster we will be able to treat patients," said Carol King, vice president of emergency services at the Health Alliance, a health system that includes six hospitals in Cincinnati and northern Kentucky.
A similar early warning system was in place in Utah during the 2002 Winter Olympics. About 100 metropolitan areas around the country have some sort of detection plan, said Dr. Tracee Treadwell, chief epidemiologist with the bioterrorism preparedness and response program at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The University of Pittsburgh system takes people's age, gender, ZIP code and medical complaint into account. The geographic data, for example, could help pinpoint where an attack took place. Pittsburgh officials then would alert health departments in the affected area.
Health officials say personal information such as Social Security numbers won't be forwarded.
Not everyone is sure it's going to work.
"The bottom line is that this is a great concept, but it remains to be seen how effective it is," said Michael Stoto, a senior statistical scientist for Rand Corp. who has studied surveillance systems. "If there were a terrorist attack involving hundreds of people going to emergency rooms, you wouldn't need a sophisticated computer system telling you that something is going on."
http://www.ohio.com/mld/beaconjournal/news/state/8848484.htm?1c