03/15/07 — ERIE — Officials at the Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center do not plan to audit their computer department in an effort to determine if a more-than-two-week delay restoring computer access at an affiliated facility was an isolated incident or part of a systemic problem.
Computer access was knocked out at the Erie Vets Center, which provides counseling and referral services to combat veterans, between Feb. 20 and Monday. Access was cut during an underground fire Feb. 20 that also knocked out electrical service. Electricity was restored that day and officials at the Vets Center followed protocol by calling on help from the computer department at the Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Medical Center Director Dr. David Adelman and spokesperson Connie Faluszczak didn’t know about the delay in restoring service until The Meadville Tribune called asking questions Friday. They took action and the problem was resolved Monday.
Asked Wednesday if the Medical Center planned to review the computer department’s performance in an effort to determine if there have been or are any other similar problems, Faluszczak said no such effort was planned.
“There is no problem,” she said. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”
Asked if any employees were disciplined as a result of the incident, she said “appropriate actions are being taken to ensure accountability,” but wouldn’t elaborate.
She also said computer department workers were told to be sure to ask for help if they encounter problems with any issues.
Faluszczak previously explained that the problem that kept the Vets Center from accessing its computers involved a router. Asked for specifics, she released this statement Wed-nesday: “Our IT (information technology) specialist did have some technical difficulties in getting the router fully functional. We also needed assistance from the local T-1 provider in configuring the router.”
Faluszczak and Vets Center Team Leader Robert Martin have said service wasn’t hurt by the computer problem even though during that time nobody could access e-mail, Web sites, process payroll or file electronic reports at the Vets Center site. Martin noted that the Vet Center’s client records are all on paper, so access to them wasn’t interrupted.
During the outage, Vets Center workers went to the Medical Center to access computers when necessary. The two facilities are about two-and-a-half miles apart.
The computer department at the Medical Center must support the 87-bed Medical Center, the Vets Center and five affiliated offices and clinics across the region.
Pat Bywater is editor of the Tribune. You can reach him at 724-6370 or pbywater@meadvilletribune.com.
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