Wisconsin Department of Health Services

When the H1N1 pandemic hit in 2009 Sonic Foundry customers around the world used webcasting in many ways to share information, minimize exposure and train workers. In Wisconsin, thousands of healthcare professionals had to fight the pandemic.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) launched one of the most extensive health emergency responses in the history of the state, and Mediasite was an important component of that.

"Mediasite was a key tool in reaching out to our partners during the pandemic. We have thousands of partners throughout the state and local health departments, tribal health centers, hospitals and clinics, school districts, emergency management labs and long term health facilities. Mediasite helped us reach them in ways that we never have before," said Lisa Pentony, director of public health preparedness with DHS. 

When the pandemic began, DHS gathered experts and held conference calls to spread information. It was using an 800 number to give people free access to long distance, but costs were rising and monthly teleconferences weren't getting the job done. The bill for the calls in one month was over $30,000. So, DHS began using Mediasite.

"Not only did we get a better communication tool and an archived communication tool that people could watch on demand, it saved us a whole lot of money," said Matt Duffy, communications and customer service supervisor at DHS.