WiRED Advances Capability of Its Global Delivery System
Creates HealthMAP Android App for Free Downloads
By: Allison Kozicharow; Edited by Jessie Crowdy
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, WiRED International offers an eight-part module education series called “The Coronavirus Threat: Key Topics in Infection Control.” With the creation of an Android app, WiRED has greatly increased the reach of our health learning programs. People around the world can now access this series and all WiRED’s health education modules on their computers, tablets and smartphones with iOS, Windows and Android operating systems. This story looks at the addition of the Android app.
Two years ago, WiRED made it easy for millions of people using Mac and Windows to download our health training modules — for free. Our innovative Health Module Access Program (HealthMAP — see sidebar) has just added an app for Android users opening HealthMAP to millions more, allowing free module downloads to smart phones, tablets and laptops.
Given that 74.45% of the world’s population use Android-based smartphones, WiRED realized that developing an Android app was crucial for distributing our programs to many more underserved populations overseas. Expanding WiRED’s capability with our Android app could not be better timed given the global coronavirus crisis, in a year during which WiRED is releasing a number of related community health training programs.
HealthMAP is the brainchild of WiRED Board Member and programmer analyst, Christopher Spirito, who built the application from scratch and developed the Android capability. He said, “WiRED International’s HealthMAP on Android allows you to download modules to your device and use them offline. It’s like walking around with a healthcare training library on your phone or tablet.”
WiRED Executive Director Gary Selnow, Ph.D., who tested the Android app in the field during his recent trip to Kenya, observed that “Students in our community health worker training class were able to download all the training modules to their phones, allowing them to study the material for class and to prepare for the course’s rigorous final exam. This app will be an important tool for our Community Health Worker Training Program (see earlier story) in all the countries in which we provide this training. It will also expand to millions of people the capability of downloading any module in our extensive health training library.”
With the technology of the Android app, WiRED continues to exercise our belief that “community health begins with knowledge.”
HealthMAP
HealthMAP enables clinicians, healthcare workers, medical schools, teachers and members of the general public to select and download modules from WiRED’s Health Learning Center to create their own customized libraries for personal study and for presentations to community groups that lack online capability.
HealthMAP delivers a wealth of medical and health training programs to people in off-the-grid regions, who are in greatest need of a fundamental understanding of critical health issues, including prevention, signs and symptoms identification together with methods of treatment.
Watch our HealthMAP Animation for an engaging step-by-step visual guide on how to download this program.
The Coronavirus Threat: Key Topics
in Infection Control
As the coronavirus pandemic grows, schools all over the world are closing and making plans for long-distance learning.
WiRED International is offering a free access training package that provides students with a close look at the coronavirus and several related health topics.
It is available without charge and can be accessed online and for downloading. These learning modules are doctor-written, peer-reviewed and evidenced-based on content from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.