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ONE SMALL STEP FOR MOBILE, A HUGE STEP FOR MANKIND; IMPROVING PUBLIC HEALTH BEHAVIORS ON A GLOBAL SCALE

California mobile solutions provider leads nation in emerging health trend, utilizing mobile technology to spread important health warnings and vital alerts via SMS...

Stanford, CA, Feb 27 2008 - Like the fax machine and telex of yesteryear, waiting for a phone call from the doctor's office for medical results or waiting to receive a notification of a biopsy in the mail may soon become a thing of the past. In their place - and what is rapidly emerging as the latest technological advancement to improve the society's health behaviors - is the use of mobile SMS messaging. Texting for health is about to become as ubiquitous as texting your bff, according to Eric Holmen, president of US voice and mobile solutions innovator, SmartReply Inc.

Holmen, who will be addressing health experts and policy makers at Stanford University's pioneering Texting4Health Conference at its campus on February 29th 2008, sees this evolution in mobile phone usage as a significant progression in the improvement of public health, by virtue of the instant dissemination of information.

As the ubiquity of mobile phones has formed a de-facto global network unrivaled by any other human innovation, save the Internet, society has totally utilized the power of voice and text to connect with one another, to spread information, to poll each other, to joke, flirt and tease, and to vote for favorite idols or politicians. Holmen says it is time to use the mobile phone for a higher cause.

And that is precisely the subject of this week's Texting4Health conference at Stanford University. The first-of-its-kind assembly of workshops and expert discussions addresses the power of SMS and text messaging to improve individuals' health and wellness, showcasing applications, ideas and insights on the use of mobile text messaging (SMS) in areas of public health. The conference will analyze the ways in which text messaging can help provide early outbreak notification of communicable diseases, accelerate the delivery of emergency treatment - even create support structures for people dealing with health-related issues. As the conference website asserts, "Text messaging is the only viable interactive means of reaching people on a massive scale around the world. This event will highlight the significant, untapped potential for changing health behavior through this channel." Holman adds "it's also immediate and instantaneous". The applications are seemingly limitless, but include;

Early warning systems for communicable disease • smoking cessation • diabetes management • reproductive health • locators for HIV testing • weight management • physical activity • teen health • privacy in the domain of sexual health information • enhanced patient-doctor relationship via reminders • efficient delivery of laboratory diagnostics

On a small scale, text messaging is already being used to make crucial differences in critical situations. In some communities, emergency medical services have taken to using text messaging to send patient data- including EKG readings and other data bundles too complex for traditional voice transmission- ahead to the hospital from the scene, using the unique speed and accuracy of SMS to save time and hasten treatment. Engaging both the proliferation and range of the text medium, organizations such as the CDC and InSTEDD use SMS systems to notify of disease outbreaks in developing nations (the CDC has SMS initiatives in Haiti for HIV testing and data dissemination and in rural Africa for delivering health alerts to a population without internet connectivity, but with mobile phones; InSTEDD uses mobile text messaging in Southeast Asia as a way to keep information a step ahead of a potentially-spreading infectious disease). Each of these projects maximizes the unique advantages of the mobile text medium: its versatility and speed, the accuracy of text as opposed to voice, and the global distribution of wireless devices, even where computers are lacking.

Holmen sees the next generation of text health initiatives, however, as beginning to redefine the text medium as well as its health-based applications. These initiatives, like STOMP by Healthphone, utilize group text as a support structure for ongoing or recurring health issues. Quitting smoking, coping with chronic disease, or monitoring mental health can be accomplished through a melding of social networking and mobile technology. STOMP, for instance, automatically sends text messages at pre-established times, keeping a new non-smoker focused on not smoking. Other initiatives are aimed at curbing eating disorders by forming text-based groups of supporters, or forming a network of patients in similar stages of illness or recovery, using text messages to encourage and support one another. These programs share the existing benefits of SMS technology, but with the added elements of community and immediate, point-of-contact connection.

The increased acceptance and use of SMS in these scenarios will be driven by the need to reach wider groups of people while maintaining quickness and accuracy in messaging, a trend that is already becoming reality. Holmen offers more examples of how effective and immediate the medium of SMS is in delivering vital health messages;

MEDICAL ALERT - PLEASE CALL FAMILY HEALTH CLINIC ASAP ABOUT ARRANGING A PAP SMEAR - sent to a woman reminding her to book a routine screening for cervical cancer. Although cases of deaths caused from cervical cancer have declined over the past 20 years, the cancer is nearly 100% preventable through regular screening and early detection. In 2002, more than 4,100 women died from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

GETTING READY TO PARTY? DON'T FORGET TO PACK YOUR CONDOMS - sent to senior high school and college students, encouraging the practice of safe sex. According to the CDC, every year one in four sexually active teenagers contract an STD, or about 3 million, which could be avoided through condom use.

These aspects and many others will be examined at the Texting4Health conference on February 29th, 2008, the primary goal of which is to create a community interested in using texting to improve the health of people everywhere. By assembling experts from both the medical and the mobile services fields, the conference aspires to enact real, practical change in the fundamental way health services utilize text and SMS messaging.

TEXTING4HEALTH was held at Stanford University at the Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center, Stanford, California, on Friday, February 29, 2008.

Click here for the Texting4Health program


About SmartReply

SmartReply provides innovative voice and mobile messaging solutions to a wide range of companies in diverse industries across the US and Canada. Founded in 2001, the Irvine, CA- headquartered company leverages its culture of innovation and breakthrough messaging strategies to help its clients achieve lower overall messaging, increased speed to goal achievement and strengthened brand and consumer affinity. More than that, SmartReply is the only company that can offer its clients a unique combination of voice and mobile channels to affect behavioral changes in the intended recipient.

Working with more than 200 major companies, SmartReply is the only voice and mobile solutions provider in the US to hold PCI Certification. The privately held company is 100% employee owned and was named to Entrepreneur Magazine's Hot 500, listed in INC. Magazine's Top 5000 Fastest-Growing US Companies and won the prestigious 1to1 New Media Award in 200, for innovation, vision and creating change.

More information for partners and clients can be found at www.SmartReply.com or by calling (800)-785-6769.