ITT TO DONATE GOGGLES TO VA TO HELP FIND WANDERING PATIENTS

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 11, 1993                   TAG: 9303110106
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: GEORGE KEGLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
ITT TO DONATE GOGGLES TO VA TO HELP FIND WANDERING PATIENTS
ITT will donate two sets of night-vision goggles to the Salem Veterans Administration Medical Center today to help the hospital track down wandering patients.
The company's Electro-Optical Products Division in Roanoke County,longtime maker of the devices for use by Army helicopter pilots and foot soldiers, is promoting their commercial use. The goggles amplify starlight, or any trace of light, thousands of times.
As defense budgets shrink, the Roanoke County company has laid off workers, and executives say its future depends on expansion of a civilian market. Only 5 percent of its total sales now are non-military.
The goggles to be used by the VA are priced at $3,100 a set. But the company's best commercial prospect is Night Mariner, a $2,400 night-vision device for boaters who sail at night. The device will have sea trials this summer before it goes on sale.
Enabling security officers to locate missing persons at night is a highly valued application for night vision technology, said Neil Gallagher, ITT division president.
VA officials contacted ITT for use of the goggles. In the past year, the bodies of four patients have been found on the grounds of the VA hospital.
Orders for night-vision goggles must meet two criteria, according to Laurel Holder of ITT: Buyers must state in writing the intended use and they must be U.S. citizens. Restrictions apply to sale of the goggles to other countries.
In its diversification, ITT recently assigned a marketing man to promote the goggles in the law enforcement field. They will be exhibited for the National Sheriffs Association in Salt Lake City and the International Chiefs of Police in St. Louis later this year.
Roger Pope, the VA Medical Center's chief of police, said he is enthusiastic about his new tool.
Pope said his staff has had to conduct a number of nighttime searches for patients. "This really would enhance our efforts," he said. "We have already tested the night vision and there is plenty of light, so we can see anywhere and everywhere on our property."
writer Carolyn Click contributed information to this story.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB