The Atlanta Police Foundation (APF) and Sharecare, the digital health company that helps people manage all their health in one place, announced a collaboration to provide Atlanta Police Department personnel with direct, on-demand access to board-certified emergency medicine physicians for real-time COVID-19 screening and testing referrals. Available for free to all Atlanta Police Department sworn officers, Sharecare Virtual Care is an easy-to-use, secure telehealth solution that empowers people to safely and conveniently address their urgent healthcare needs related to COVID-19.

“The face-to-face encounters that law enforcement officers have with criminals have always been fraught with the potential for violence; but in the face of COVID-19, we’ve added to that the possibility of being infected with a life-threatening virus,” said Dave Wilkinson, president of the Atlanta Police Foundation. “Over the last two months, we have been fiercely committed to ensuring APD personnel remain healthy so that we may continue to serve the public with no disruptions. As we forge ahead, what Sharecare has built for the Atlanta Police Department will help ensure that our first-line law enforcement officers have the protections needed to do their jobs, with the confidence that they are taking every precaution to protect themselves, their families, their colleagues, and all of us.”

Sharecare Virtual Care is an easy-to-use, HIPAA-compliant telehealth solution powered by MedCall Advisors and designed to help Atlanta Police Department personnel triage symptoms and connect with a board-certified emergency medicine doctor at their convenience. Available 24 hours a day via desktop computer, smartphone or tablet, each Sharecare Virtual Care visit starts with a brief “chatbot” screener to triage an officer’s symptoms and assess their likelihood of COVID-19. After completing the screener, sworn officers can instantly connect with a care coordinator – via phone or online – for further triage and to arrange a consultation with a board-certified ER physician, if needed. In addition to enabling each officer to track their current or future symptoms in the Sharecare app, during the Virtual Care visit, the physician can prescribe medications or arrange for same-day COVID-19 testing for the officer, as well as an in-person appointment if further diagnosis or treatment is needed.

“As Atlanta enters its new normal and many start to return to work over the coming weeks, we must be vigilant to ensure the safety of our first responders as we focus on recovery,” said Jeff Arnold, founder, chairman and CEO of Sharecare. “We are honored to support the readiness and resiliency our city’s finest during the pandemic, and, especially in the face of this health crisis, are steadfast in our commitment to make Atlanta and Georgia among the healthiest places to work, live and play.”

Sharecare Virtual Care is the latest of numerous tools and resources Sharecare has developed to better inform Americans about COVID-19 and empower them to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. As part of its response to the global health crisis, Sharecare has aligned its new and existing resources to better support its employer and health plan client partners in optimizing their populations’ readiness and resilience.

Arnold added, “As COVID-19 has reshaped work and business priorities, organizations must adopt a strategic, phased approach to better manage health, promote well-being, and optimize the ‘new normal’ across their populations. By helping our client and community partners like the Atlanta Police Foundation efficiently access the resources they need, together, we can create a resilient workforce that is ready to face adversity and change while increasing the overall well-being of the communities we serve.”