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Hunting for a Leftover Vaccine? This Site Will Match You With a Clinic.

Katie Thomas

March 09, 2021 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York

To help with the coronavirus vaccine distribution, a New York-based start-up has introduced a service that connects "vaccine providers who find themselves with extra vaccines to people who are willing to get one at a moment’s notice." Although the project is still being piloted, more than 500,000 vaccination-seekers and 200 vaccine providers have signed up for the initiative, and some health officials believe it could become a model for a more equitable distribution strategy.

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To Tackle Homelessness, Santa Fe Found a Better Plan

Kriston Capps

March 04, 2021 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Sante Fe, New Mexico

The adoption of the “Built for Zero” campaign in Sante Fe, New Mexico, allowed the city to effectively respond to the housing crisis that unfolded as a result of the pandemic. The data-driven approach gives cities a better snapshot of how many people are homeless at any given time and also encourages agencies to work together, which creates a network that can adequately address chronic homelessness.

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For those frustrated with vaccine system, a crew of volunteers is ready to help

Felice J. Freyer

March 02, 2021 |

The Boston Globe |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Massachusetts

A community effort is underway in Massachusetts to help people secure Covid-19 vaccination appointments, despite a confusing government roll-out system. The Massachusetts COVID Vaccination Help volunteer group is composed of volunteers from across the state, who are using their free time to help individuals schedule appointments. Although there are concerns about privacy, users thus far have commended the group's persistence and success in booking appointments.

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‘There's so much gratitude': engineer who created viral vaccine site for $50

Miranda Bryant

March 01, 2021 |

The Guardian |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York

Frustrated with the Covid-19 vaccination system in New York, a local software engineer created a "much-needed vaccination appointment-finding bot" that shares available times and locations on a website and Twitter. Although the website was not built "in the way that modern websites are supposed to be built," it has still been extremely popular and users have reported successfully booking appointments because of it.

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How some frustrated COVID-19 vaccine hunters are trying to fix a broken system

Danny Westneat

February 17, 2021 |

The Seattle Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

Retired software engineers in Washington have joined together and created a website that aggregates all available COVID vaccine appointments by using "screen scrapers." Although the site doesn't allow the visitor to book an appointment, it has routinely averaged "10,000 visits a day from anxious shot hunters."

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Boosting Voter Turnout: Seth Flaxman

Richard Davies Jim Meigs

February 13, 2021 |

How Do We Fix It? |

Podcast |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States

Democracy Works has a suite of programs that make it easier to vote. TurboVote helps its 7 million subscribers easily register to vote by taking them to their state's online registration site or by sending them the paperwork with envelopes pre-addressed to their county election office. The service also sends emails and texts to remind users to vote, as well as with other deadlines and their polling location. Their Voting Information Project provides data for all districts in the U.S. that groups, such as Google and Facebook, use to provide their users with their polling place location information.

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Worried about losing engagement with COVID remote learning? A school district created an app for that

April Barton

February 08, 2021 |

Burlington Free Press |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, San Antonio, Texas

The San Antonio Independent School District developed an app to help combat the Covid-slide among its students, including English Language Learning students. The app tracks interactions, class attendance, and completed assignments, but also correspondence and in-person interactions. Administrators took the data collected on its close to 50,000 students and developed strategies to direct special attention or make contact with students with decreased engagement. Out of 48,000 students, only 142 didn't have a contact log.

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How a better headcount reduces homelessness in the US

Carey L. Biron

February 02, 2021 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States

The “Built for Zero” campaign relies on frequently updated data collection and a streamlining of homelessness services to reduce the number of unhoused people living on the streets to “functional zero.” The data is housed in one central command center with various agencies, nonprofits, and government offices working together to ensure no one falls through the cracks.

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How Covid turbocharged the QR revolution

David Silverberg

January 22, 2021 |

BBC |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom

Quick Response (QR) codes have become a popular way to conduct contactless business, and even contact tracing, during the coronavirus pandemic. Restaurants and retail stores allow customers to order and pay by scanning the codes with their smart devices, which pulls funds from payment accounts like PayPal, or their bank account, debit, or credit card. Public health agencies in the UK display QR codes that people can scan to “check in” and if someone tests positive for Covid-19 at that location people who scanned the code within 21 days are notified. QR codes hold massive amounts of data reliably and cheaply.

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Is There a Better Way to Collect Data on Homelessness?

Kriston Capps Max Reyes

January 22, 2021 |

Bloomberg |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Bakersfield, California

A campaign to end housing instability is counting on frequent data collection to provide a clearer insight into the reality and needs of those living on the streets. “Built for Zero” aims to replace the current federal HUD model which consists of a single annual physical count of the unhoused. The data are used to create a command center which streamline the response from various groups and agencies that can address the issue of homelessness. The city of Bakersfield, California, was able to functionally end homelessness even with the onset of the pandemic after implementing the data-driven strategy.

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