PRESS RELEASE

"Date: June 22, 2001"

Fifteen of the leading software and technology companies serving the behavioral health and human services community have formally incorporated as The Software and Technology Vendors' Association (SATVA). These companies created SATVA as a trade association for the following purposes:

• To promote the use of technology solutions in behavioral health and human services settings,
• To help formulate and support the highest industry standards, and
• To facilitate the delivery of more efficient and effective care through use of information technology to behavioral health and human services consumers.

Founding companies that have thus far committed to membership, in alphabetical order, are: Anasazi Software, Askesis Development Group, Civerex, CMHC Systems, Compucare Management Systems, Creative SocioMedics, Earley Corporation, The Echo Group, Integrated Health Partners, Multi-Health Systems, Raintree Systems, Redtop, SecureHealth, TeleoTech Systems, and Unicare Systems.

At its inaugural meeting on June 22, 2001, SATVA members elected officers and a Board of Directors, listed below:

• Jerry Koop, Chairman, and CEO of Creative SocioMedics;
• Les DelPizzo, Chair-Elect, and Vice President of External Relations for CMHC Systems
• Stephen Hurt, Ph.D., Treasurer, and Manager of Data Analytic Services, The Echo Group;
• Gerald FitzGerald, Secretary, and President, Multi-Health Systems;
• Alistair Deakin, Board Member, and CEO, Earley Corporation;
• Ed Pigott, Ph.D., Board Member, and Co-Founder, TeleoTech Systems;
• Thomas Stucke, Board Member, and Vice President, Integrated Healthcare Partners;

In addition, the SATVA Board of Directors appointed Tom Trabin, PhD, MSM, as Executive Director and Jeffrey Poston, Esq., as Legal Counsel.

Jerry Koop, SATVA’s newly elected Chair, said, “SATVA represents a maturing of our industry and a conscious attempt to collectively shape the perceptions and impact of key technology vendors. Our goal is to better meet the needs of our customers who provide specialized treatment for the psychiatric, substance abuse, child welfare, developmental disabilities, and public health environments.”

Tom Trabin, SATVA’s Executive Director, added, “SATVA brings together many competitor companies to work on projects of mutual interest that will benefit the entire behavioral health and human services community. The formation of SATVA signifies the growing importance with which the information technology industry is regarded by behavioral health and human services organizations, government agencies, consumer groups, and others. We have an exciting opportunity to represent information technology-related interests pertaining to behavioral health and human services more effectively to policy makers, investors, the broader health care community, and other influential groups.

• To carry out its new mission, SATVA intends to engage in the following activities, many of which are already underway:
• Participate actively in the development of national standards for behavioral health and human services data, technology and electronic communication;
• Act as the collective voice of the behavioral health and human services software and technology industry in public and private policy forums;
• Foster and sponsor educational conferences and seminars to the behavioral health and human services field on informatics issues and developments;
• Work actively to broaden the association’s membership so that it continues to represent the full scope of issues in the industry; and
• Develop and disseminate information to decision makers in behavioral health and human services organizations regarding helpful criteria and processes to use for purchasing informatics products and services.