Local Elementary School Using Smart Thermometer To Track Illnesses
WASHINGTON, Pa. (KDKA) - Stuffy noses and stomach aches are common symptoms in elementary schools this time of year, but what if there was a tool that could help track those illnesses?
Washington County Park Elementary School is testing out a smart thermometer that does just that.
"The app is wonderful because I can track his fevers, my daughter's fevers, see if there's a trend. I can look at the app and see if there is a trend in his classroom, if it goes through every grade, if they have a stomach bug or a fever," said Staci Connolly who has two kids at Washington Park Elementary School.
Parents at the school who signed up received a smart Kinsa thermometer for free through a grant that allows them to punch in their child's symptoms while taking their temperature. All that information is anonymously uploaded to the app.
"You can watch for those symptoms that are occurring, so that you can prevent sending them to school and exposing them not only to all the kids at school, but the kids on the bus," said School Nurse Cheryl Blosl.
The trial program started with just 30 thermometers at this school, now it's grown to 158.
Each year, the company distributes more thermometers to more schools nationwide, but at Washington Park, their goal is to get each parent signed up and tracking.
Not every school that applies for the grant is accepted. Washington Park is one of 30 schools in Pennsylvania and 1,400 nationwide that are participating in the Kinsa program.