(NewsUSA) – As parents send their children off to college, safety is a major concern. Roughly 4 million young adults visit emergency rooms each year due to incidents such as car accidents, medical emergencies, sexual assault, drug overdoses, and alcohol poisoning, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is where the Emergency app comes into play.
Gail Schenbaum founded the app after having no emergency contact information for her daughter’s college, local hospitals, or police departments during a crisis. The app is designed to offer safety and security resources for students, their families, friends, and other trusted contacts. Key features of the app include an Urgent Alert beacon that notifies parents and other trusted contacts when immediate help is needed, an “I am safe” function that alerts contacts when the student is out of harm’s way, on-campus safety information, and the ability to upload and share a secure copy of the student’s health insurance card and digital medical consent form.
However, the app is not a substitute for conversations about maintaining safety. Parents should begin with questions such as whether their children feel safe on campus, the school’s safety procedures to deal with a crisis, periodic practice drills to test emergency preparedness, the type of emergency facilities available on campus, including mental health services, and how the campus notifies students and parents in case of an emergency.
The Emergency app is available for free to college students while parents, family members, or other non-student users can pay $9.99 for yearly access or $19.99 for lifetime access. Users can download the app or learn more about its features by visiting http://www.umergencyapp.com.
In summary, college students may think they are invincible, but it is essential to have security measures in place, especially in times of crisis. While the Emergency app offers significant features, initiating thoughtful conversations with college students about maintaining safety on campus is just as important.