Ontario Government provides Agfa HealthCare with $29.6 million grant to support further growth

Combined Agfa HealthCare and governmental investment to create 100 new jobs and re-invest in 276 existing jobs within Ontario, Canada

Waterloo, Canada/Mortsel, Belgium – 19 January 2009 – 16.00 CET

Agfa HealthCare, a leading provider of IT-enabled workflow and diagnostic imaging solutions announces today that it has signed an agreement with the Government of Ontario, Canada for a CAD$29.6 million governmental grant to support the growth of the company’s Research, Development and Regional operation centers in Toronto and Waterloo (Canada). The grant will support a total of nearly $200 million investment by Agfa HealthCare in its Ontario operations, creating 100 new positions and re-investing in 276 existing jobs. The total investment is designed to centralize and streamline the company’s research, development and regional operations, which will serve both the North American as well as global requirements for the company. Partnering with businesses to generate investment and create jobs is a component of the Ontario government’s five-point plan to grow the economy and will be provided from the Next Generation of Jobs Fund.

The 100 new jobs created at Agfa HealthCare will include software development roles, general support services and back office functions designed to meet the company’s regional, national and global needs. In total Agfa HealthCare will employ nearly 400 people in Ontario, focusing on the development, implementation and support of the company’s eHealth, Regional Health and Digital Imaging Solutions. The company’s Waterloo office will also strengthen its position as one of the company’s primary Research and Development facilities, developing the company’s leading Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), called IMPAX™ and other advanced software solutions for hospitals and healthcare facilities worldwide.

“We’re proud to support Agfa HealthCare’s investment in their Ontario operations and workforce. We have a skilled and educated workforce, a culture of innovation, and a competitive business environment. The Next Generation of Jobs Fund leverages those advantages to create quality jobs for Ontario families,” said Ontario’s Premier, Dalton McGuinty.

Supporting Premier McGuinty’s statement, Michael Bryant, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development states “We’re proud to work with innovative companies that come to the table with their own growth plans and resources. Agfa HealthCare’s new technology represents a step forward in the development of e-health, providing an Ontario solution to a global need and a shot in the arm to the local economy.”

Agfa HealthCare, a member of the Agfa-Gevaert Group, is a leading provider of IT-enabled clinical workflow and diagnostic image management solutions, and state-of-the-art systems for capturing and processing images in hospitals and healthcare facilities. Agfa HealthCare has over a century of healthcare experience related to diagnostic imaging and has been a pioneer on the healthcare IT market since the early 1990’s. The company develops and delivers its solutions to hospitals and healthcare facilities in over 100 markets worldwide and is an active provider of IT-enabled diagnostic tools supporting Canada’s transition to fully fledged e-health solutions through its Picture Archiving and Communication Systems, advanced clinical applications and consolidated data centers.

“This is an exciting moment in our long history in Canada and signals a continued dedication to our customers in terms of research and development. The systems which will be developed in Waterloo will be an integral part of our next generation of enterprise-wide solutions, designed to help our customers transform from analog to digital to full fledged IT solutions. This will in turn support improved workflow, accuracy and patient care for hospitals and healthcare facilities worldwide. The support from the McGuinty government allows us to accelerate our growth plans and bring our new technology to market, as well as anchoring our investment here in Ontario,” concludes Michael Green, Vice President North America Region, Agfa HealthCare.

Killer Germs and the role of Pharma: Reports from Forbes 2006.

Germ Warfare By Robert Langreth and Matthew Herper Drug-resistant infections kill more Americans than AIDS and breast cancer combined. Biotech is fighting back. So far, the superbugs are winning. Clean Hands | War Wounds

More From Forbes.com The Most Dangerous Bacteria By Matthew Herper Infectious diseases experts release a hit list of the most worrisome germs. The Best-Selling Drugs In America By Matthew Herper Lipitor is still at the top, but it has a lot of competition. Slideshow: Best-Selling Drugs Slideshow: Fastest-Growing Medicines Revenge of the Bacteria Killers By Matthew Herper Big pharma returns to a market it once abandoned--ready to take on some deadly, resistant bugs. Military Chases Mystery Infection By Matthew Herper Researchers are trying to figure out how drug-resistant bacteria came to infect hundreds of soldiers. Pfizer Plays A Guessing Game By Matthew Herper Why has there been no word on the FDA status of the drug that Pfizer bought last month?

IBM Canada Subsidiary Opens International Centre of Excellence to Support Information Exchange Between Health Systems

May 27, 2008 10:00 ET

IBM Canada Subsidiary Opens International Centre of Excellence to Support Information Exchange Between Health Systems

QUEBEC CITY, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - May 27, 2008) - Today, IBM (NYSE:IBM) announced it has created a Centre of Excellence in Quebec City to deliver a solution to facilitate the sharing of critical medical documents between physicians, clinics and hospitals around the world. Artefact Informatique, a division of LGS Group Inc., an IBM company, will be the exclusive global provider of the solution.

The solution acts as a registry and repository for a wide range of diverse documents including lab reports, digital images, and drug profiles. Authorized healthcare professionals can search, retrieve and view documents from their own jurisdictions or other jurisdictions - regardless of where or how originals are stored. It was developed to be easily integrated with Electronic Health Record solutions because it is based on open industry standards such as DICOM, HL7, and XDS.

"The ability to access health information dispersed among diverse organizations is one of the main IT challenges facing today's healthcare providers. Standards-based solutions are a crucial factor in answering this challenge," said Barry Burk, vice-president, Healthcare Industry, IBM Canada. "Artefact's and IBM's expertise in healthcare and experience in globally integrating enterprises will together advance the ability of healthcare enterprises around the world to share critical medical information and improve patient care."

IBM's solution conforms with the Cross-enterprise Document Sharing (XDS) Integration Profile as defined by Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE), a global initiative by healthcare professionals and industry to improve the way computers share health information.

"It has been shown many times that systems using IHE communicate with one another better, are easier to implement, and enable care providers to use information more effectively. Physicians, medical specialists, nurses, and other care providers have been waiting for the day when vital information can be shared seamlessly regardless of where they are or which system they are using. That day is now," said Jose Mussi, executive director, IHE Canada.

IBM was an early advocate for healthcare industry standards, is actively engaged in IHE Planning and Technical Committees and participates in interoperability events and demonstrations worldwide.

IBM's healthcare strategy is based on the adoption of a service-oriented architecture (SOA) approach and the use of open standards and standards-based electronic health records to provide secure and private exchanges of records between authorized healthcare providers.

More than 30 IBM researchers and software engineers in labs in Haifa, Israel, Rochester, Minnesota and San Jose, California, invested three years developing the SOA solution which is built on IBM WebSphere and DB2 software.

About IBM

For more information about IBM Healthcare, visit www.ibm.com/industries/healthcare.

For more information, please contact
Media Contacts:
IBM Canada
Leslie Plant
Media Relations
(416) 478-9840
Email: laplant@ca.ibm.com

or

IBM Canada
Joanne Fortin
Media Relations
(514) 964-8558
Email: fortin@ca.ibm.com
Click here to see all recent news from this company

MDA (think Canadarm) world-class solution performs groundbreaking brain surgery

Developed with the University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine

Richmond, B.C. - MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (TSX: MDA), a provider of essential information solutions, announced today that neuroArm - a sophisticated medical robotic system developed by MDA, has successfully performed ground-breaking robotic neurosurgery at the Calgary Foothills Hospital. Renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Garnette Sutherland skillfully operated neuroArm during an intricate 8-hour procedure to remove a brain tumour from a 21 year old patient.

'neuroArm met all our expectations,' stated Dr. Garnette Sutherland, professor of neurosurgery at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine and a Calgary Health Region neurosurgeon. 'The manipulators and controls performed flawlessly, providing extraordinary control and extreme accuracy.' He went on to add, 'The success of this procedure is expected to revolutionize neurosurgery.'

MDA has a disciplined program to nurture spin-off opportunities. Spin-offs are under development in diverse markets that include medical, mining, nuclear, etc. In the medical area, our neuroArm is a specific avenue under development for extremely precise surgery applications.

Developed in cooperation with the University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine, neuroArm combines MDA's innovative robotic technology with the University of Calgary's vision for improving medical procedures and provides a major technological and medical advancement in patient care.

neuroArm incorporates the most advanced control systems and vision technology that will allow neurosurgeons to perform highly intricate surgical procedures. Initially designed for brain surgery applications, the technology can be applied to other surgical applications.

'The Canadian Space Agency's investment in space has provided the foundation to advance our robotic technology to benefit Canadians and patients around the world,' said Steve Oldham, a vice president within MDA's Information Systems group. 'Drawing upon three generations of robotic systems developed by MDA for the International Space Station, neuroArm is a natural extension of MDA's robotic technologies.'

neuroArm is the first of its kind image-guided robot providing unprecedented levels of dexterity and high positional accuracy. The system combines a highly accurate MRI compatible manipulator system, image guidance, end effectors that incorporate modified neurosurgical tools, touch sensors and force feedback hand controllers that provide remote presence and control to the surgeon. The system provides both diagnostic and surgical capability.

Related Websites:
www.mdacorporation.com
www.medicine.ucalgary.ca


For more information, please contact:
Wendy Keyzer
MDA External Relations
Telephone: 604-231-2743

New National Fund to Support Internationally Educated Nurses - Canadian Nurses Foundation Announces RBC Diversity in Nursing Fund

OTTAWA, May 16 /CNW Telbec/ - The Canadian Nurses Foundation (CNF) and RBC together are celebrating National Nursing Week, May 12-16, 2008, by establishing the RBC Diversity in Nursing Fund. This new $25,000 fund enhances RBC's commitment to diversity by supporting the integration of internationally educated nurses into Canada's health-care system.

Administered by the Canadian Nurses Foundation, the RBC Diversity in Nursing Fund will provide bursaries to internationally educated nurses or IENs. These bursaries will subsidize the cost of bridging programs, including language training, enabling IENs to practise in Canada.

"Diversity is definitely a competitive advantage in Canada, and we believe that organizations, cities and businesses that leverage diversity will be more sustainable over the long haul," said Shari Austin, vice-president and head, Corporate Citizenship, RBC. "Nursing is critical to Canada's health-care system, which is why RBC is honoured to provide this $25,000 donation to the Canadian Nurses Foundation to establish the RBC Diversity in Nursing Fund."

In 2006, IENs represented 7.5% of Canada's registered nurses, or 19,836 nurses, with the number of IENs applying for licensure increasing three-fold in many jurisdictions in recent years. CNF and CNA recognize the right for individuals to migrate but do not support the unethical recruitment practices of nurses.


For further information: Jonelle Istead, Canadian Nurses Foundation,
1-800-361-8404 ext.204, jistead@cna-aiic.ca

MediSolution Announces Launch of its Learning Center

Centralized initiative to provide comprehensive training and skills development

MONTREAL, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - May 12, 2008) - MediSolution Ltd. (TSX:MSH), today announced the launch of the new MediSolution Learning Center, a centralized organization designed to provide customers with convenient access to training for all MediSolution product families.

The MediSolution Learning Center will provide a full range of courses and workshops aimed at providing beginner and advanced end users with the necessary skills and techniques to optimize MediSolution's software products within their own organizations. The Learning Center facilities include fully equipped learning laboratories which have been designed to provide an optimal hands-on and classroom style training experience. MediSolution Learning Center courses and workshops are currently offered in Montreal, Quebec City and Laval. A wide range of online courses are also available to further facilitate access to skills improvement.

All Learning Center courses and workshops will be led by seasoned professionals with specialized domain knowledge and advanced product expertise. In addition to gaining an understanding of the various features available in the software, attendees will be provided with tips and techniques to save time and design more efficient workflows.

"We realize that the right training, provided at the right time allows our customers' new and existing employees to rapidly improve product proficiency, saving valuable time and money," explained Paul Lepage, President and CEO at MediSolution. "The Learning Center curriculum will ensure that our customers are offered the courses and workshops they need in a structured, scheduled, professional environment."

Credit Valley Hospital to bring preventive medicine information to the community

The Credit Valley Hospital has partnered with RxTV and SHARP Electronics of Canada Ltd to bring preventive medicine information to the community, its patients and their families in high-impact High Definition.

Monday, May 12, 2008

MISSISSAUGA, ON:

Exposing patients and families to reliable health and wellness information is a focus of Credit Valley’s new and improved internal television station known as Credit Valley Current. A new partnership between SHARP and Credit Valley is showcasing digital signage in high definition (HD) format featured on SHARP’s 36 – 54” HDTV screens strategically located throughout the hospital.

The Credit Valley Hospital has launched a High Definition (HD) multi-zoned digital information program. The initiative is made possible through a unique partnership between Credit Valley, SHARP Electronics of Canada Ltd and RxTV.

A new digital signage software created exclusively by SHARP is being piloted in a hospital setting at Credit Valley.

The hospital produces a wide-range of award-winning health and wellness videos.

Physicians and clinicians also provide preventive medical tips for patients, visitors and staff.

The multi-zoned areas provide current weather, news, sports and traffic in addition to current hospital event schedules. The software allows the flexibility to tailor specific programming to the patients in that area (such as emergency and oncology). The hospital presently has seven different programs showing concurrently.

Patients waiting in emergency receive a warm video welcome from chief of emergency, Dr. Eric Letovsky and learn about the triage process from nurse manager Janet Cadigan. Others waiting in diagnostic imaging or for blood work can watch useful tips about avoiding falls, proper lifting technique, how to avoid diabetes and the importance of keeping tabs on your blood pressure.

Credit Valley Current will be an integral part of the hospital’s new expansion project.

The programming will include regular construction site “walkabouts”, progress reports, web cam screen captures as well as important messaging to support the Hospital Foundation’s $45 million fundraising campaign for the phase two construction project.