Meeting the Moment: How Self-Screening Technology Supports Faster, Smarter Emergency Response
When the unimaginable becomes a reality, emergency response technology with self-screening tools makes it easier for communities to rebuild, recover, and heal.
In the wake of a disaster, timely action saves lives.
Imagine: after a hurricane strikes, a single mother is overwhelmed by the storm’s devastating impact on her family. Struggling to figure out where to go or what to do next, she’s directed to a simple self-screening form on her local government’s website. Within just five minutes, she’s completed it—taking the first step toward getting help.
Behind the scenes, her responses are instantly routed to the appropriate agency via the Unite Us platform, enabling staff to quickly identify her needs and deliver targeted assistance—in her case, food, temporary housing, and transportation to her job.
Self-screening tools equip government agencies with a scalable, efficient solution for identifying and addressing community needs in real time. By streamlining screenings, local teams can respond faster, allocate resources more effectively, and capture a comprehensive understanding of residents’ needs—ensuring no one falls through the cracks during a crisis.
Self-Screening Technology: A Smarter Way to Identify Needs in Real Time
Unite Us’ self-screening tool allows individuals to identify and report their needs—such as access to food, shelter, or transportation—directly from a public-facing website, no in-person interaction required.
For government agencies, this means immediate access to the data needed to inform emergency response plans and target interventions where they’re needed most.
Why Self-Screening Matters in Emergency Situations
When a crisis hits, traditional outreach efforts are often overwhelmed or inaccessible. Phone lines are tied up. Field teams are stretched thin. But people still need help—and fast.
With Unite Us’ self-screening tool, government teams can:
Administer Screenings Rapidly: Deploy the tool during or immediately following a disaster to collect real-time data on community needs.
Improve Accessibility: Make support more accessible through multi-language, mobile-friendly forms that meet people where they are.
Coordinate Response at Scale: Review incoming screenings through a streamlined dashboard that helps your team triage and allocate resources efficiently.
Flexibility and Scale: Key for Improving Disaster Response
Web-based self-screening tools can be deployed in days, not weeks, and can be easily embedded on county, city, or state websites. By removing the one-to-one constraints of traditional screening methods, self-screening tools enable rapid government response at scale. Instead of relying on staff to conduct each intake, individuals can complete assessments independently—lightening the administrative load for staff, increasing the volume of people served, and accelerating response time during a crisis.
Chart a New Course for Emergency Response with Unite Us
Disasters demand speed, clarity, and coordination. Whether you’re managing an evacuation, responding to a public health emergency, or preparing for hurricane season, Unite Us helps government agencies shift their response from reactive to proactive.
Self-screenings are powerful tools that give agencies the ability to collect insights, prioritize interventions, and ensure that people can get back on their feet–and stay there.
Ready to modernize your emergency response toolkit?
Contact us to learn more about deploying self-screenings in your community.
