NEW COVID-19 Screening Tool - Beginning Monday

Veterans Health Administration sent this bulletin at 06/12/2020 01:50 PM EDT

Dear Veterans,

To protect patients and staff, VA must now screen everyone for coronavirus symptoms and potential of exposure each time they enter a health facility. We also realize that this can be stressful for some people.

To assist with improved screening efforts, VA created a digital pre-entry screening tool which now allows Veterans, caregivers, and employees to answer questions on their mobile phones and share their results at facility or outpatient clinic entrances. Staff members can then quickly triage people to either enter the building or go to a designated area for more screening.

Providing simple, easy-to-use digital tools like this one helps reduce wait times at our entrances, ease stress, and lower the risk of exposure. It also helps Veterans gain confidence in the new reality of increased digital interactions as part of their VA health care experience.

COVID Tool              COVID Tool 2

Users can access the tool quickly via text message. Large text and buttons, plain language, and a simple flow of questions allow users to complete screening in under a minute.

  • Clear results The results screen shows 1 of 2 messages (“OK to proceed” or “More screening needed”) plus a timestamp and next steps. The large, clear text and color-coded screens help staff easily triage.
  • Quick access to crisis support For Veterans in need of immediate support, the tool provides quick access to the Veterans Crisis Line.
  • Easy-to-update screening protocols The tool’s features allow us to update questions within 24 hours to meet evolving needs.
  • Tool Features VA designed this tool in partnership with Veterans and medical center leadership, incorporating feedback from user testing to ensure the tool meets Veteran and employee needs.

We encourage you to sign up for this COVID-19 screening tool today! Simply enroll by texting screen to 53079.

Thank you.