OTTAWA, Ontario, Dec. 11, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- By the end of 2019, STACS DNA will have rolled out Track-Kit Sexual Assault Kit (SAK) tracking systems in five states, with two more going live in 2020. Here's a snapshot:
- Arizona: The three-month Track-Kit rollout wrapped up in January 2019.
- Iowa: Signed a few weeks ago, Iowa will be live by July 2020, with more than 1200 medical and law enforcement users.
- Massachusetts: Track-Kit will be live in all regions of the Commonwealth by February 2020.
- Michigan: Along with being the first state to pilot test Track-Kit, Michigan completed a statewide rollout of the system in August 2019.
- Nevada: Track-Kit was implemented statewide in Nevada in less than three months this year.
- Texas: To meet the September 1, 2019 deadline, statewide rollout was completed in just three months to an estimated 3,000 state agencies, comprising more than 20 crime laboratories, 80 medical facilities, 300 prosecutors' offices and 2,500 law enforcement agencies. Most importantly, it is available to more than 15,000 survivors per year.
- Washington: The first to implement Track-Kit statewide (in 2018), Washington won the 2019 State CIO Office Special Recognition Award from over 130 submissions for its Track-Kit implementation. This is a State IT Recognition Award from the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO).
STACS DNA credits two key attributes to so many states selecting Track-Kit. First, Track-Kit's extreme configurability enables fast statewide rollouts; the system can meet a long list of state requirements right out of the box, and thousands of users can be on-boarded in just a few months. Second, STACS DNA's turnkey services reduce the work burden for state employees. We offer training sessions for each facility on a rolling schedule to accommodate thousands of shift workers, as well as multi-channel, ongoing end user support up to 24/7, 365 days/year.
"STACS DNA was able to bring the whole state of Texas online in just a few months," says Steve Gareau, Chief Information Officer for STACS DNA. "This included gathering feedback from different user groups around the state, customizing Track-Kit based on their input, and developing a comprehensive training plan with sessions for all of the different users – hospitals, law enforcement, DNA labs, prosecuting attorneys and survivor advocates."
In DNA lab news, Signature Science, a commercial scientific and technical consulting firm, has chosen STACS Casework DNA sample tracking and laboratory management software for its ANAB accredited laboratory in Austin, TX and the firm's Center for Advanced Genomics in Charlottesville, VA. STACS Casework will replace an internally-developed LIMS, streamlining routine tasks in the labs and enabling analysts to dedicate more of their time to casework.
"Following an extensive search of available LIMS, STACS Casework is the only software we saw that fundamentally understood the DNA testing process and supported multiple DNA labs," says Leslie Parke, Forensic DNA Laboratory Director, Signature Science. "Other vendors said they could customize their product to our processes, but STACS had a leg up in understanding and addressing DNA testing."
Dynamic search and reporting modules developed for STACS Casework this year give DNA evidence labs exceptional access to their data. The new modules provide users with an interactive visual map of their STACS Casework database, giving them the power to collate the lab data they need and generate reports based on every metric recorded in STACS Casework, such as samples, batches, CODIS hits, consumables, instruments, lab metrics, DNA profiles, grants and more.
In services news, Texas rated STACS DNA's services as exceptional under their Vendor Performance Tracking System – not once, but twice in one month. A Grade A rating was given for both Track-Kit implementation services and support and maintenance services related to STACS Database lab software. STACS Database is used by the Texas Department of Public Safety Crime Laboratory Service, which is one of the largest DNA database labs in the world. TXDPS has been using STACS Database (previously named STACS-DB) since 2009.
STACS DNA rebranded and launched a new corporate website to reflect the company's expanding sample tracking offerings and the inclusion of new markets:
- STACS®: The website better explains the STACS Sample Tracking and Lab Management products and capabilities for forensics DNA labs. New names clarify the products: STACS-CW for forensic DNA evidence labs is now STACS Casework, and STACS-DB for CODIS labs is now STACS Database.
- Track-Kit™: The website explains our offerings for tracking sexual assault kits and newborn screening specimens, now saving valuable time and reducing risk in nine state-and-province-wide implementations.
- Track-Kit for Hospitals: Launched this year, it empowers hospitals to track newborn screening specimens from collection to delivery at the lab to improve timeliness and patient care.
- Professional services: The new site describes STACS DNA's comprehensive services – crucial for a smooth rollout – in more detail, including system setup, configuration, customization and maintenance, as well as end user training sessions and multi-channel, ongoing support services for both laboratories and statewide systems.
ABOUT STACS DNA
STACS DNA offers sample tracking software for forensics and healthcare. Track-Kit™ tracks every sample statewide to prevent delayed or lost kits and keep thousands of stakeholders informed. STACS® software is the most comprehensive DNA sample tracking and lab management software, maximizing processing throughput and minimizing risk. Our customers are federal, state, regional and local agencies, including many of the largest forensics DNA labs in North America. Visit http://www.stacsdna.com.
SOURCE STACS DNA
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