The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced the appointment of Richard J. Liekweg, Chief Executive Officer of the UC San Diego Medical Center, to the Joint Advisory Committee on Communications Capabilities of Emergency Medical and Public Health Care Facilities.
The Joint Committee has been appointed to assess the communications capabilities of emergency medical and public

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Richard Liekweg,
Chief Executive Officer
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health facilities, as recommended by the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007. The Joint Committee’s findings must be submitted to Congress by February 4, 2008.
“Effective and timely communication is a vital component of meeting the healthcare needs of our communities, especially during an emergency or disaster,” said Liekweg. “This is a wonderful opportunity to share best practices and assess emerging technologies that will foster efficient, timely and safe care every day, as well as in those critical times when we must rely on our emergency communication systems.”
Members of the 25-member committee were appointed by FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin and U.S. Commerce Department Assistant Secretary for Communications John M.R. Kneur. According to the FCC announcement:
“The 9/11 Commission Act requires the Join Committee to assess: (1) specific communications capabilities and needs of emergency medical and public health care facilities, including the improvement of basic voice, data, and broadband capabilities; (2) options to accommodate growth of basic and emergency communications services used by emergency medical and public health care facilities; and (3) options to improve integration of communications systems used by emergency medical and public health care facilities with existing or future communications networks.”
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Media Contact: Leslie Franz, 619-543-6163, lfranz@ucsd.edu
FCC Contact: Lisa M. Fowlkes, 202-418-7452, lisa.fowlkes@fcc.gov