Message from Health Services

October 21, 2020 

Dear Seton Hill Students, Faculty and Staff,

Contact tracing is a key component of Seton Hill University’s efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 among campus community members during the pandemic.

Throughout the fall semester, Seton Hill Health Services and the Contact Tracing Team have relied on manual efforts to conduct contact tracing. These efforts include interviewing those individuals who test positive – or are presumed positive – for COVID-19 and asking them about contact they had with others in the 48 hours before they became symptomatic.

Since these traditional contact tracing methods rely on the memories of individuals, Seton Hill has been investigating the ways that contact tracing technology could help with this difficult yet important task. After reviewing products from more than a dozen companies and conducting extensive testing, Seton Hill will use the SaferMe app to assist with our contact tracing efforts.

As part of the Social Contract, all Seton Hill students are required to download the SaferMe app. We are strongly encouraging all faculty and staff to download the app at this time.

How SaferMe Works

The SaferMe app aids in contact tracing via the mobile device’s built-in Bluetooth system. SaferMe records the proximity and length of time a mobile device user’s device is near another user’s mobile device. It does not record where or when that contact occurred.

If an individual tests positive for COVID-19 or is presumed positive and awaiting further testing, Health Services will access the individual’s SaferMe information to help identify the other SaferMe app users they have been in close proximity with during the 48 hours before they become symptomatic or tested positive if they are asymptomatic.

Privacy Protections

SaferMe never stores or accesses location data about any user on either iPhone or Android platforms and does not have access to location data for iPhone users who have the GPS function turned off.

The information from SaferMe will only be available to Health Services administrators and shared with the Contact Tracing Team and administrators at the highest levels on a limited, need-to-know basis in the event of a positive case.

While some contact tracing apps alert users through the app that they have been in contact with a positive individual, Seton Hill community members using the SaferMe app will be contacted directly by a trained contact tracer if they are identified as a contact of a positive or presumed positive individual. The contact tracer will provide important information about quarantine and testing and answer questions the individual may have.

How to Access Safer Me

Please follow these steps to download and use the SaferMe App.

1. Download SaferMe from your mobile device’s app store;
2. Open the app, click on “Login via SSO” and enter this ID: setonhill
3. Sign in using your Seton Hill email address and your MySHU password.

Additional information, including video instructions on downloading and accessing the app, is available at stay.setonhill.edu/.

You will receive a reminder message from SaferMe later this week with the downloading and access instructions. You may also find answers to some Frequently Asked Questions here.

The SaferMe app will provide Health Services and the Contact Tracing Team with needed information to help keep our campus community safe. Thank you for your continued cooperation with these important efforts.

Sincerely,

The Office of Health Services