Company provides free thermometers and app to track school illnesses

DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) -

There’s an app for just about everything.

This one is changing how we track illnesses.

Kinsa Health is on a mission to slow the spread of contagious illnesses, especially in schools.

They are doing so by turning a common home health device into a communication tool.

“How can you get ahead of the spread of illness in schools if you don’t know what’s spreading or where it’s spreading. That’s why we created Fluency,” says Kinsa Health director of communication Jane Putnam.

Thanks to funding from Lysol, Kinsa’s FLUency program provides families of the nearly 4000 partnering schools with thermometers and disinfectant with many living in underserved communities.

“40% of participating in our fluency program did not have a thermometer in their home prior to participating,” says Putnam.

The FLUency app, adds other layers of insight once the temperature is completed like how many students are sick and which symptoms they are showing.

It also provides tips and guidance for symptoms and concerns.

“It’s one thing to understand is there a temperature but also what do I do next. What should I look into? Who should I call? Should I call?” says Putnam.

The program has been around for six years.

Faine Elementary School has been a part of it for a year already and Early County Middle school just joined this fall.

“It is truly important this year so we can get that added layer of protection get our families involved and just kind of be able to quarantine and isolate early enough if that is the case,” says Faine Elementary School nurse Nicoloa Feltcher.

The app uses anonymized data and doesn’t single out students who are ill. Instead, it alerts the school and parents of illness trends within grade levels.

If you’re interested in being a part of fluency but your child’s school is not a partner, you should reach out to the school nurse.

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