The high-speed, secure connection will increase speed by which doctors and specialists at Provident Hospital can access medical records, test results and radiology reports.

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle announced the connection of Provident Hospital to Cook County’s 10 gigabit fiber broadband network.

The fiber-optic cable connection will allow the transfer of digital communications, including internet, phone and video at much faster rates than currently available at Provident.

The high-speed, secure connection will increase speed by which doctors and specialists can access medical records, test results and radiology reports. It also allows remote viewing of radiology records by the medical staff.

The Cook County broadband network is the result of an intergovernmental agreement with the Chicago Transit Authority. The agreement allows Cook County to extend the fiber-optic lines that follow CTA tracks to county network core sites. From the core sites, the network then extends to dozens of County facilities throughout the region.

“Connecting Provident Hospital to the county fiber network is an important step in building a strong broadband infrastructure for the 21st century,” Preckwinkle said. “The Cook County-CTA collaboration is a committed partnership and will provide a positive impact for residents.”

Cook County Commissioner Jerry Butler (D-3rd) whose district includes Provident Hospital said, “I am proud to see that we continue to invest in technological advancements to support high quality, advanced medical care.”

The new fiber-optic cable will help in network and data center administration, including electronic medical records, health information exchange and tele-medicine.

— Provident Hospital connects to fiber broadband network —