University announces new software program to aid social service agencies in Southwest Virginia
In a joint press conference with Rep. Rick Boucher (D-Va. 9th), Virginia Tech introduced a new software package today that is designed to facilitate the delivery of social services to citizens of Southwest Virginia.
“In today’s world, early and easy access to information is key to remaining competitive,” said Virginia Tech President Charles W. Steger. “The software package being introduced here will greatly facilitate access for people of the region to health care and other social services. It also will streamline those organizations’ ability to gather and share information. This means a more effective and efficient process for delivering critical services to Southwest Virginians.”
COSMOS, as the software package is being called, is a result of a collaboration between citizens in the region and information technologists from the university’s Blacksburg Electronic Village (BEV). Representatives from Washington County Social Services and People Inc. defined what they needed, and BEV’s information technology staff developed the software to meet those requirements.
“Virginia Tech has taken an aggressive and productive role in promoting widespread access to technology among our rural and underserved communities,” Boucher said. “Through programs like the Blacksburg Electronic Village, eCorridors, NetworkVirginia, and the National LambdaRail, Virginia Tech has found ways to make technology more affordable, relevant, and meaningful in the lives of people everywhere and in all walks of life.”
"Today's announcement by Virginia Tech represents another major contribution which the university has made to the communities of Southwest Virginia," Boucher said. "Virginia Tech contributes generously to our quality of live by educating our future leaders, supporting our local economic development efforts, and creating new knowledge to be shared. This is what we expect from a great, land-grant, state university.”
Erv Blythe, Virginia Tech’s vice president for information technology, described the new software system and how it was developed. He said the system is the result of a project that began to take shape in 2000, when Virginia Tech working with Washington County Social Services and People Inc. recognized a major gap in the processes for client assessment, intake, record keeping, and referral.
Blythe said that human services in the region are provided by many organizations that traditionally operate independently. These service organizations, like their clients, are both diverse and geographically dispersed. Clients traditionally must travel separately to, register with, and undergo needs assessment from each individual agency for whose services they wish to apply. Referrals among agencies likewise are generally handled manually, and there are no commonly used reporting mechanisms.
COSMOS allows any organization or group of organizations, using only a web browser, to perform initial client intake, assessment, and referrals and to share that online information securely with other organizations providing services to the individual. It eliminates the need to duplicate this intake process and establishes a uniform client record among participating organizations.
Blythe noted that COSMOS is being released as an “open source” system, which means that other software programmers—wherever they are located--can make additional refinements and improvements.
“By releasing COSMOS as open source software, Virginia Tech hopes to encourage rapid acceptance and collaborative development among the providers of health and human services across Southwest Virginia and other areas in Virginia,” said Blythe.
