The Ladder Safety Mobile App, developed by DSFederal in collaboration with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was awarded Best Mobile App at the 2015 Federal Health IT Innovation Awards on March 4. Hosted by Digital Health Xchange, the ceremony recognized innovative projects across five categories: Mobile, Interoperability, Big Data, Digital Strategy, and Federal Innovation Program.
A panel of government tech experts, including Executive Director Gregory Downing, discussed the importance of disseminating critical health information through innovative IT solutions. Other winners included the Defense Health Agency, the National Institutes of Health, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. The award marks the Ladder Safety App's latest recognition in a series of honors that it has received since its June 2013 release. Last year, the app was a finalist in the HHS Innovates competition, a government-wide program that recognizes groundbreaking projects with tangible outcomes. Several months earlier, the Small and Emerging Contractors Advisory Forum (SECAF) ranked Ladder Safety as a finalist in its “Government Project of the Year” category.
In addition to recognition from government agencies and industry advocacy organizations, the app boasts consistently high download rates and and has earned praise from national and global entities alike. Many organizations across the U.S. have embraced the app as a critical safety resource, and it has garnered attention from more than 20 countries, including Canada, the U.K. and Singapore. Since its 2013 release, the app’s popularity and relevance among industry professionals has remained consistent, a testament to its usefulness and unprecedented capabilities, according to Dr. Peter Simeonov, Research Safety Engineer at NIOSH’s Protective Technology Branch. “It was an innovative approach to providing safety tools and information,” Simeonov said. “It gives you a ladder positioning tool and also other safety information, such as guidelines and checklists. It’s interesting, appealing, and effective.”
In a statement, DSFederal CEO Sophia Parker attributed the success of the app to the company’s ability to deliver lasting, problem-solving results. “Our mission is to connect the brightest minds with innovative technology to solve our customer’s most pressing challenges,” Parker said in a statement. “We don’t stop at just delivering – we drive exceptional results that will save lives.”
About DSFederal: DSFederal is a woman-owned consulting firm that specializes in research support, enterprise IT solutions, business process improvement, and training for Federal government agencies. The company has received awards from the U.S. Small Business Administration (Top Woman-Owned Small Business), the Washington Business Journal (Top Small Technology Company), and SmartCEO (Cornerstone Award.) Clients include the Departments of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Transportation, Defense, and Agriculture, among others. Projects range from mobile app development to training solutions to customization of software and processes in support of multi-billion dollar efforts for HHS agencies. www.dsfederal.com