Denver, CO. – The Singing River Health System (SRHS), comprised of two hospitals – Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula, MS., and Ocean Springs Hospital in Ocean Springs, MS. – are both installing an advanced automated drug management system manufactured by Swisslog (www.swisslog.com), a leading provider of pharmacy automation solutions.

Singing River Hospital and Ocean Springs Hospital will each have a PillPick® system, which automatically packages, stores and dispenses unit dose medications in bar coded packages. The system packages tablets and capsules, as well as odd-shaped items such as syringes, ampoules, vials and liquid cups, in bar coded unit-doses. These bar-coded bags are automatically transferred to a high-density pharmacy robot that can hold up to 26,400 unit doses. When needed, these bar-coded doses are pulled from the robot and assembled on a patented, flexible plastic ring, known as a PickRing, in any desired order: 24-hour patient administration, first dose administration or dispensing cabinet restock.

In addition, both hospitals will install a BoxPicker high-density automated medication storage and retrieval system that is analogous to a vertical carousel. Unlike carousels, BoxPicker has single-opening/loading drawers for secure access, no exposed moving parts for user safety and a picking rate that is far faster than carousels. In addition, this system can include a refrigeration compartment and can support USP 797 by providing product access to an anteroom/clean room environment for compounding. BoxPicker offers total inventory control software that directly interfaces with hospital information systems.

“The decision to select PillPick and BoxPicker from Swisslog was the result of a careful review process by our interdisciplinary team,” according to Madelline Collazo, Director of Pharmacy for SRHS. “It was the most advanced technology available in the market in pharmacy automation and will be the first of the newest generation of robotics installed in the state of Mississippi.”

About Singing River Health System (SRHS)

For over 75 years, Singing River Health System (SRHS) has served the citizens of southern Mississippi and Alabama. SRHS is a community health system comprised of two state-of-theart hospitals, including Singing River Hospital in Pascagoula, which is licensed for 435 beds, and Ocean Springs Hospital in Ocean Springs, which is licensed for 136 beds. SRHS also includes the Regional Cancer Center that serves a wide area along the Mississippi and Alabama coasts.

SRHS offers world-class cardiac care at both hospitals. The Bariatric Surgery Program at Singing River Hospital was designated as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the Surgical Review Corporation. Additionally, Singing River Health System was the first health care system on the Mississippi Coast to offer robotic minimally invasive surgery with the da Vinci Surgical System. In 2005 and 2006, SRHS was recognized as a Top 100 Hospitals

Performance Improvement Leader ® by Solucient, an independent company and a leader in providing comparative data in the healthcare industry. SRHS is continually re-accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JC), and has been accredited since the group’s inception in 1951. For additional information, visit http://www.mysrhs.com.

About Swisslog

Swisslog is a global provider of integrated logistics solutions for warehouses, distribution centers and hospitals. Its comprehensive services portfolio ranges from building complex warehouses and distribution centers to implementing Swisslog’s own software. In addition Swisslog provides intra-company logistics solutions for hospitals as well as software and consulting services in the field of supply chain management.

Swisslog’s Healthcare Solutions division is the world leader providing logistics automation mainly for healthcare markets. Swisslog has installed hospital material transport and pharmacy automation systems in more than 2,000 hospital and pharmacies throughout the world. Swisslog offers total system design, manufacturing, installation and customer support providing a complete hospital supply chain management approach to logistics challenges. Swisslog Healthcare Solutions division headquarters is located in Denver, CO with corporate headquarters in Buchs/Aarau, Switzerland. For more information, visit http://www.swisslog.com.