INDIANAPOLIS—The Indiana State Department of Health today announced it has teamed with Medscape from WebMD, the leading source of health information for healthcare professionals, to communicate urgent public health messages to its healthcare providers in Indiana.

“As demonstrated by the several public health emergencies this year, such as measles, salmonella and more recently fungal meningitis, the ability to instantly communicate with providers is critical,” said State Health Commissioner Gregory Larkin, M.D. “We believe this new partnership with Medscape will enhance existing channels of communication and offer yet another way to reach health care providers with urgent health information when needed.”

The Indiana State Department of Health is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) national Health Alert Network (HAN) system. The infrastructure of the HAN system supports the immediate dissemination of vital health information at the state and local levels. The messaging system directly transmits health alerts, advisories, and updates to local health departments, hospitals and public health partners.

Medscape will support these efforts by directly distributing health information including infectious disease outbreaks, environmental and product safety advisories, preparedness planning and response information, and public health developments among other alerts, to its network of registered clinical members throughout Indiana.

“As a leading source of health information and news, Medscape can quickly and effectively reach healthcare providers with critical health news,” said Robert Marotta, senior vice president & chief regulatory counsel of WebMD. “Our goal is to support the Indiana State Department of Health on both a state and local level in its efforts to ensure physicians receive the most critical health alerts.”

Upon receipt of medical alerts and updates, the Indiana State Department of Health will supply information to Medscape for distribution to its local network of Indiana-based healthcare providers. Registered Medscape members will receive the latest information via email alert.

To learn more about the Indiana State Department of Health, visit www.StateHealth.in.gov. For additional information about the CDC’s Health Alert Network, visit www.bt.cdc.gov/han.

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