Mobile-friendly COVID-19 Screening Program for Safely Reopening Schools

Challenge

To safely reopen schools in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kent County (Michigan) needed a way check students and staff for symptoms and exposure before they came into one of the County’s 200+ schools each morning. Because any such “screening” would rely on the participation of busy parents early in the morning, the County needed a solution that was as user-friendly as it was robust – no passwords, account credentials, app downloads, or other sources of user friction that could risk widespread adoption.

Solution

In collaboration with Kent County Health Department leadership, People.Health created a COVID-19 screening survey that was delivered to parents via text message each day. Responses to this short, mobile-friendly form were aggregated on a dashboard used by the administrators at each school: respondents who reported no symptoms were flagged green; respondents who reported symptoms were flagged red; and respondents who did not respond were flagged yellow.

Results

This comprehensive snapshot of the County’s schools and their risk for COVID-19 contagion enabled the County to confidently reopen schools and keep everyone within their walls safe. Schools that participated in the program were able to stay open, where other schools in the County (private, etc.) experienced closures due to new outbreaks of the virus.