UW team launches website, app with COVID-19 resources

By Yvonne Kim, The Cap Times

COVID-19 Wisconsin Connect, a free website and mobile app, launched Monday with free information, resources and social support for people in Wisconsin during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s College of Engineering received a $470,000 grant for the project through the Wisconsin Partnership Program at the School of Medicine and Public Health. CHESS collaborated with faculty, staff and students at the journalism school’s Center for Communication and Civic Renewal, which received a $140,000 subcontract.

The project team, many of whom worked as volunteers, capitalized on existing infrastructure at CHESS, which has a track record of building social support-based health apps. Both the website (covid.chess.wisc.edu) and mobile app, soon to be available in Google and iPhone App stores, include local discussion boards, meditation exercises, a bilingual fact checker and articles and symptom tracking logs from the Department of Health Services. Read more …