To: Deans, Directors and Dept Heads
From: Dr. Robert Ernst and Vice President Ravi Pendse
Date: August 19, 2020
Dear Colleagues,
As the University of Michigan prepares for the start of the academic year, we want to introduce you to ResponsiBLUE – an accessible, mobile-friendly website (responsiblue.umich.edu) and soon-to-be-released mobile app that will help faculty, staff, and students keep the university healthy and reduce the spread of COVID-19. ResponsiBLUE is the next generation of “Healthscreen,” which was a web-tool used across the university for health system employee self-screening, return-to-research, and more.
Using ResponsiBLUE is one way to practice a culture of care for one another. Beginning August 24, 2020, all faculty, staff and students will be expected to use ResponsiBLUE at the beginning of the day, regardless of whether they are present in-person, or working or studying from home. Those working in U-M buildings or facilities are required to use ResponsiBLUE to meet state regulatory requirements for health screening.
Once an individual has logged in, the screening tool will ask three yes or no questions based on CDC and other public-health guidance related to COVID-19 symptoms and contact with others. Based on the responses, individuals will either see a green screen with a check mark, indicating they can enter U-M buildings (results expire after 12 hours), or a red screen, indicating that they should take specific actions based on university guidelines and the directions on the red screen.
ResponsiBLUE enables individuals to understand if they are at-risk, connects individuals to relevant university resources, and provides insights and visibility to the state of public health at U-M. The tool will be updated and enhanced over time to include additional features that assist the community in making health-informed choices that help keep the U-M community as safe as possible during the pandemic. More information about ResponsiBLUE can be found on the ITS website.
We will be communicating broadly about the screening tool in the coming days and weeks. Meanwhile, U-M’s COVID-19 Leadership Team asks for your ongoing assistance in encouraging those in your unit and academic areas to use the screening tool (and requiring those working in-person in U-M buildings or facilities to use the tool), in addition to wearing face coverings in compliance with U-M’s face covering policy, maintaining social distancing, practicing frequent handwashing, avoiding large gatherings, and staying home when sick.
We want to thank each and everyone of you for all you are doing to help keep the university a safe place during this challenging time.
Dr. Robert Ernst
Executive Director of University Health Service and
Associate Vice President for Health and Wellness in Student Life
University of Michigan
Ravi Pendse PhD
Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
University of Michigan