COVID-19 Response Needs a Proven Solution

April 2, 2020

It has been truly inspiring to watch how America’s great companies, captains of industry, and entrepreneurs have risen to the challenge of helping our government respond to the unprecedented coronavirus pandemic. From the repurposing of factories to make masks and ventilators to local micro-distilleries converting stills to make hand-sanitizer, we are struck with awe at American ingenuity.

As we come face-to-face with the very real potential that hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens -- our friends, neighbors, co-workers, and loved ones – will suffer through illness and possibly death in the next couple of months, we no longer have time for half-steps. That is why on March 19 LiveSafe, the developer of the leading mobile safety and security communications platform, and Cognosante, one of the nation’s most experienced and successful health information technology companies, provided a detailed proposal for a COVID-19 Mobile Engagement Center to the federal government that could be stood up in a matter of days and rolled-out nationwide in three weeks.

United States President Donald J. Trump participates in a news briefing by members of the Coronavirus Task Force at the White House, March 31, 2020. Photo by Shutterstock (10598767aa)

The proposed COVID-19 Mobile Engagement Center delivers mobile engagement capabilities that will help millions of Americans access the information they need and deliver the government a game-changing capability to detect, monitor, and mitigate the spread of the coronavirus. Almost immediately, this solution will give millions of Americans the ability to understand their symptoms, what they should do if they think they might be infected, how, when, and where to get tested, and access real-time information and resources to ease their anxiety. This will span more than just an application – providing real time chat and phone support. There is still time to put this capability to work for the American people.

More importantly, it will strengthen federal, state and local response efforts with actionable intelligence, decision support data, and the ability to send critical information to citizens based on their location. Within a matter of days, the following technological capabilities can be brought to bear in the war against coronavirus:

Citizens can:

• Directly submit questions to the COVID-19 call center team.
• Real-time chat and submit anonymous information.
• Access CDC COVID-19 information in their Mobile App, including real-time information on testing locations, treatment centers, supplies and other critical logistics information.
• Call Emergency 911 through their Mobile App, which will automatically route that 911 call, and simultaneously alert the COVID-19 call center.

Coronavirus Task Force can:

• Send Broadcast Messages containing critical information and communicate with App users in real-time.
• Dynamically update the safety map to highlight testing centers, supplies, and other critical logistics.
• Push out geo-fenced messaging and check-in requests based on the actual location of citizens using smartphones with location services activated.

LiveSafe and Cognosante are uniquely positioned to make a significant impact on our national response to the coronavirus pandemic. We understand that and we understand it is our responsibility to bring this capability to the attention of our nation’s leaders.

The time to act, not with half steps but with full strides, is now. Lives depend on it.