Several companies with employee communication and hiring platforms have expanded their services or made them free as healthcare providers promote telework for nonessential staff and reduce face-to-face interactions between on-site workers.
Beekeeper, an internal communications and employee engagement platform for frontline workforces, announced it will offer senior living communities free access to its software to better equip them to respond to the coronavirus epidemic.
“There is a growing concern around the vulnerability of senior citizens to the coronavirus and how critical it is for healthcare professionals to stay connected in order to care for them,” said Cristian Grossmann, CEO and co-founder at Beekeeper. “We understand the importance of centralized and secure communication for teams and departments during this uncertain health crisis.”
Beekeeper noted that healthcare leaders must be able to communicate changing policies, new regulations and updates and ensure employees can access them quickly and conveniently. Seamless coordination between infection prevention specialists, administrators managing visitation protocols, and staff members who may be exhibiting symptoms is also critical.
Video messaging
HeartLegacy made its SalesMail video messaging app free to senior care corporate executives in the U.S. and Canada, noting it can be used to enhance internal communications during travel restrictions; keep staff and families updated; and offer virtual tours.
The company, which serves multiple industries, said leaders who supplement correspondence with video find recipients better comprehend the information and pay closer attention to it.
As the virus spreads, many healthcare providers will also likely need to continue or step up recruitment efforts.
To that end, myCNAjobs has established free, virtual interview rooms.
The nationwide recruitment tool is leveraging video conferencing as an alternative to on-site interviews or off-site hiring fairs that might typically make existing staff vulnerable to exposure.
Effective immediately, all myCNAjobs subscribers have a free “video room” enabled, allowing internal teams to host virtual interviews, orientation or meet with anyone virtually. The easy-to-use service also includes a mobile app, allowing caregivers to easily attend from a device.
“We’re committed to helping the industry deliver the best care for our most vulnerable population,” said CEO Brandi Kurtyka.
Expanding telehealth
And as telehealth has proven to be an efficient and safe way to deliver care, companies are opening up services. For example, MediTelecare, a leading provider of behavioral telehealth services for the skilled nursing, post-acute and long term care markets, is now allowing all of its skilled nursing facilities to utilize their televideo technology and platform for any medical provider in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
“During coronavirus, it occurred to us that other providers need to be able to see those residents in skilled nursing facilities, so we have opened up our platform to allow other practitioners to use that technology,” CEO and founder Ed Mercadente told McKnight’s.
