$1.6M grant to help hospitals

By Mary Grzebieniak

NEW CASTLE, Pa. — A $1.6 million grant award is intended to help Jameson and Ellwood City hospitals fight bioterrorism and pandemics as well as improve overall health care.

The office of U.S. Rep. Jason Altmire of McCandless, D-4th, announced last week that the U.S. Defense Department grant will allow the ProcessProxy Corporation of Ellwood City to manufacture and equip Lawrence County medical providers with health-surveillance technology.

The technology will help detect bioterrorism or pandemic diseases as well as improve patient care.

Terry Rajasenan of ProcessProxy said 12 hardware and software engineering jobs will be created in Lawrence County with the funding.

The company will use the grant to help implement electronic health-record systems at Jameson, and Ellwood City hospitals and medical offices in the county.

The two hospitals also will have better access to a developing Health Information Exchange, which will allow them to share data if they are treating patients who normally receive care at another facility.

ProcessProxy also will manufacture new robotic technology in Ellwood City that will help analyze disease trends and facilitate new disease-prevention strategies.

Rajasenan said ProcessProxy is now located in the offices of his father, Dr. Vasudevan Rajasenan, an Ellwood City cardiologist.