Online COVID-19 Risk Assessment Leads to Lifesaving Intervention to South Brevard Resident
By Space Coast Daily // March 28, 2020
PMC has been offering online risk assessments to the community for a variety of health conditions
BREVARD COUNTY • TITUSVILLE, FLORIDA – Parrish Medical Center is Florida’s only hospital enabling website visitors to take a coronavirus (COVID-19) non-diagnostic risk assessment that identifies their risk level for the virus.
The online risk assessment has already helped Brevard residents get proper treatment for COVID-19-like symptoms.
The assessment tool is called “COVIDAware”. The public can complete the assessment by visiting parrishhealthcare.com/COVID19HRA or by texting Coronavirus to 321-204-1966.
More than 1,300 people have taken the assessment since it went live on March 20, and hundreds more have been completing the assessment every day.
Of those, PMC’s care navigators have provided follow-up contact with 107 respondents whose information showed they needed additional medical advice and direction.
“A PMC care navigator contacted a south Brevard woman who had taken the assessment after working with an individual who had died from COVID-19-like symptoms. The woman was short of breath and had other symptoms to the point the PMC care navigator could hear her wheezing as she tried to speak,” said Natalie Sellers, Vice President, Communications, Community & Corporate Services.
“The woman decided to self-isolate after hearing reports that people should not flood emergency rooms,” Sellers said.
“She took the assessment and her responses indicated she was at a high risk for COVID-19. One of our care navigators called her to further assess. On the call, our navigator advised her to go to the emergency room. In addition, the care navigator called ahead to notify the hospital’s ER so that they could be prepared for her arrival. She was subsequently admitted to the hospital.”
The risk assessment was developed by HealthAware, a Denver, Colorado, company that uses technology to encourage behavior that improves the quality of life for individuals and communities. From start-to-finish, the assessment takes about seven minutes to complete.
“PMC has been offering online risk assessments to the community for a variety of health conditions, it only made sense to develop an online assessment given the need for social distancing and self-isolation required to stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
If someone wants to better understand their risk and get guidance on if, or when, to seek medical care, we can help, but they need to take the assessment,” said Sellers.
PMC also makes available similar assessment tools for sleep disorders, determining a person’s “heart age,” understand heart disease risks, cancer issues, and others.
“Preventing the spread of this highly contagious virus is our priority and we are devoting all of our resources to that end,” said George Mikitarian, PMC President and CEO.
“Using the technology available to us and providing this service free of charge to further protect our community from COVID-19 is just one more way we are fulfilling our mission.”
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