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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JUNE 24, 2002 Appropriations Committee includes $2 Million in Federal Funds for Inland Empire Defense Project in its Final Bill
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today Representative Joe Baca (D-42) announced that the House Appropriations Committee has approved $2 million in federal funds for Titan Systems Corp., which is based in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Baca requested that the funding be part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2003 defense appropriations bill, which will be voted on by the full House of Representatives later this week. Items that are included in a House committee's final version of a bill are rarely taken out or altered by a floor vote. The $2 million figure is double the amount of federal funding that Titan Systems Corp. received last year. Representative Jerry Lewis (R-Redlands) is the Chair of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee. "I'm glad that Chairman Lewis and I were able to work together in a bipartisan way to bring this funding to the Inland Empire and to Titan," said Baca. "I especially want to thank Chairman Lewis for his leadership on the Defense Appropriations Committee." The funds will help Titan Corp. develop and test its Mobile Integrated Diagnostic and Data Analysis System (MIDDAS), a futuristic battlefield medical triage apparatus. The system allows battlefield medical personal to monitor the status of up to 250 field patients at once, acquiring data from specially designed gloves and electronic dog tags worn by the patients. It combines critical monitoring and biofeedback technology with wireless communications and visual presentation technology to provide fast, mobile triage to battlefields, accident scenes, and natural disaster sites. "I'm glad to see that the Appropriations Committee decided that it was worthwhile to fund this interesting and important project," Baca said. "Hopefully the whole house will agree and approve the bill in its final vote." "This project is vital to our national security. It also enables the military to keep our men and women in uniform safe and cared for as they valiantly defend our nation. I'm sure the full House will see it the same way and pass the defense appropriations bill." The Naval Health Research Center, which funds the MIDDAS project, places increasing emphasis on better battlefield trauma management. Troops are deployed further and further inland from sea-based platforms, requiring smaller and more mobile medical support equipment. Triage, stabilization, and diagnostic capabilities are crucial to patients' survival. Technology that can assist in patient assessment and continuous monitoring will help military medical teams save lives in the field. Baca has supported the MIDDAS project since 1997, when Titan Corp.'s Advanced Concepts Group began working on MIDDAS in Rancho Cucamonga. The Group has increased in size by over 300 percent over the last year, making it a vital part of the Inland Empire economy. The next step for the MIDDAS project will be an extensive, rigorous field trial program. "We will continue to support Titan and other Inland Empire businesses working to bring jobs, growth, and success to the area," Baca said. "Our economy depends on it." # # # |
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