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Text-to-911 Saves Lives, but Data Suggests It Remains Rare

Ben Miller

April 14, 2020 |

Government Technology |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Significant growth in the availability of text-to-911 technology has meant greater safety for people whose speaking ability or dangerous surroundings prevent them from making voice calls to 911. Various states have used different methods to enable the spread of such services, with no one-size-fits-all approach. Federal data show the number of emergency texts grew from about 1,000 in 2014 to more than 188,000 in 2018. While data are incomplete, a majority of the U.S. evidently remains outside areas with 911 call centers that can receive text messages.

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At this COVID-19 test center, you're not just a number

Anne Blythe

April 11, 2020 |

North Carolina Health News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

The University of North Carolina's healthcare system is utilizing virtual care centers and mobile communications to more efficiently prioritize potential COVID-19 cases and better track people after they've been tested. After someone has been tested, virtual communication continues whether or not they tested positive for the virus, which has helped mitigate concerns for patients about how to best manage the symptoms they're experiencing, regardless of the diagnosis.

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My Friend Died of COVID-19 and I'm Learning How to Grieve in Isolation

Joseph Darius Jaafari

April 08, 2020 |

Teen Vogue |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Cell phones are being used as a new tool during the coronavirus pandemic to help people who have lost loved ones to process and cope with their grief. Although mobile therapy platforms and online counseling options have their limitations, counselors still say that, "being online and making sure to connect, even virtually, is crucial for helping people learn how to grieve and recover."

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‘Dial-A-Priest': Episcopal Clergy Offering Final Prayers Remotely

Jackie Bensen

April 07, 2020 |

WRC-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Alexandria, Virginia

Connecting to a priest—by video or telephone—can offer relief to those dying alone. The Virginia Theological Seminary and General Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia, recently launched Dial-A-Priest, a service that allows patients to pray with Episcopal priests. The hotline connects callers to a network of priests on duty to offer final prayer services, 24-hours a day.

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Governments are using cellphone location data to manage the coronavirus

Kim Lyons

March 23, 2020 |

The Verge |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: South Korea

Governments across the world are using data from cell phones to better track the movement of those under quarantine restrictions during coronavirus. While each country using this containment strategy is implementing it in different ways, the information shared is kept anonymous but, in some cases, grants the greater public access to movements of individuals to know where possible contagions may have occurred.

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Elections amid coronavirus: How officials aim to keep voters safe

Alfred Ng

March 17, 2020 |

CNET |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Many are looking to in-person voting alternatives already used on smaller scales to address the challenges of holding an election during the Covid-19 pandemic. Online or mobile app voting is allowed on a limited basis in several states. Voatz is a mobile voting app that has been used in 50 elections since 2016, with more than 80,000 votes cast. The company uses blockchain to encrypt the data and has offered to discuss the free use of its software for the 2020 presidential election. Experts caution the possibility of cyber-attacks as well as the difficulty of widely implementing new technologies so quickly.

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South Korea Shows World How to Slow Spread of Coronavirus

William Gallo

March 12, 2020 |

Voice of America (VOA) |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: South Korea, Seoul

South Korea has taken a softer approach to preventing and containing the coronavirus, in large part because they’ve prioritized accessible testing and have an already-existing strong and affordable healthcare system. Beyond that, the government has centered on citizen education – sending daily updates about new cases and provided a hotline for questions and concerns.

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Map the Vote app finds unregistered voters in cities and helps get them to the polls

Katherine Rapin

March 11, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Texas

Register2Vote (R2V) identified unregistered voters in Texas and built a platform for them to fill out the form online, which R2V printed and mailed to them with a stamped envelope addressed to their county’s registrar’s office. 112,000 of the 156,000 new voters they registered voted in 2018. R2V later created Map the Vote, a nationwide crowdsourced app that maps where unregistered voters live. It also provides tools to help organizations, or even neighbors, register new voters, including scripts that people can use to start a conversation about registering to vote and respond to common voting concerns.

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Lebanon's refugees use technology to fight food insecurity

Christopher Livesay Melanie Saltzman

February 02, 2020 |

PBS NewsHour |

Broadcast TV News |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Lebanon, Beirut

Training refugees in digital skills provides them with a path toward self sufficiency. A pilot program developed with the UN World Food Program and the American University in Beirut offers computer literacy and English courses to Syrian refugees living in Lebanon. The approach aims to reduce reliance on food relief and empower individuals to find employment with new skills.

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Out of sight, out of mind: Teachers take action on phones

Asia Alvarez Zeller

January 23, 2020 |

Lake Oswego Review |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Oregon

When students enter many of their classrooms in Oregon, they are asked to place their phone in a pouch, locker, or other container. The strategy is helping students stay focused and break distracting habits and returning key instruction time to teachers who were spending time policing phone use.

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