New Website Aims to Provide Better Healthcare Information, Education and Prevention Measures to West Virginians

CHARLESTON, W.V.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The West Virginia Office of Epidemiology and Prevention Services (OEPS), a division of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Bureau for Public Health, has launched a new website to better inform citizens of infectious diseases and disease prevention, http://www.dhhr.wv.gov/oeps.

“Improving health involves creating awareness and sharing information”

“Improving health involves creating awareness and sharing information,” said Loretta Haddy, OEPS director. “This new site makes it easy for consumers and families to access the resources available to them.”

The new site provides comprehensive information on a variety of common diseases and vaccine recommendations in an effort to prevent illness or widespread infection. Parents can access information on vaccine requirements for school or child care and local community information.

Healthcare providers can access the site to obtain research, regulatory requirements and proper reporting procedures, and training opportunities throughout the state. In addition, physicians and medical staff can access the West Virginia Electronic Disease Surveillance System (WVEDSS) on the new site. WVEDSS is a secure, web-based electronic reporting system for hospitals and health departments to report certain diseases and unusual health related events.

“The information we receive from healthcare providers allows the state to monitor any unusual situations,” Haddy said. “If an outbreak is detected or we receive extensive reports of illness, we can respond quickly based on the information provided.”

The new website was developed by OEPS in partnership with WV.gov.

For more information about the West Virginia Office of Epidemiology and Prevention Services, please visit http://www.dhhr.wv.gov/oeps.

About WV.gov

WV.gov is the official website of the State of West Virginia (http://www.wv.gov) and is the result of an innovative public-private partnership between the state and West Virginia Interactive. West Virginia Interactive works with state and local government agencies to build and manage interactive online services and is a subsidiary of eGovernment firm NIC (NASDAQ: EGOV).

About NIC

NIC Inc. is the nation's leading provider of official government portals, online services, and secure payment processing solutions. The company's innovative eGovernment services help reduce costs and increase efficiencies for government agencies, citizens, and businesses across the country. NIC provides eGovernment solutions for more than 3,000 federal, state, and local across the United States. Additional information is available at http://www.egov.com.