Athena Software is stepping up for its customers in the hard-hit health and social service sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In direct response to the pandemic and the sudden and urgent need for social distancing, the Waterloo, Ont. software company has quickly adapted and accelerated its product roadmap priorities to respond to the growing demand from its worldwide health and human service partner organizations for a robust telehealth and remote care solution.
Specifically, Athena today unveiled video session scheduling for its highly acclaimed SaaS case management platform, Penelope, to simplify the end client experience in requesting and managing video-enabled remote care sessions with their care providers.
This means that Athena’s customers at health and social service organizations worldwide can continue to deliver essential case management support services remotely while protecting the health of their staff and their clients.
“The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted all of our lives, but especially those who are most vulnerable in our society,” said Geoff Bellew, CEO of Athena Software. “Our customers provide essential and often life-saving services to their communities. In these truly difficult times, it’s vital that they’re able to deliver remote care and telehealth options like those now added to the already powerful Penelope case management solution.”
Athena also announced today the launch of its new Caregiver feature for ClientConnect – a mobile client portal that works seamlessly with Penelope – that now also allows the designated caregivers of an organization’s clients to conveniently log in to a safe and secure account on their phone or tablet to view and schedule appointments, request services, and communicate securely with remote case workers on their clients’ behalf.
Both of the significant enhancements announced today are available at no charge to nonprofits and human service organizations already using Penelope and ClientConnect. The ability to prioritize, build, and deliver these remote care tools in a swift, no-fee response to a growing health crisis is an example of Athena’s blend of close-knit teamwork, nimble operations, and human compassion, said Bellew.
“It did not take us long to respond to our customers’ urgent requests for a remote service module, and one that would further equip them to provide first-class care,” he said. “Our highly effective and experienced development team immediately responded to this request and, while having to work remotely themselves, were able to create this fully-tested and highly useful enhanced feature set.”
These new, innovative, and easy-to-use features have been designed specifically
for easy and seamless adoption, meaning that agencies using Penelope don’t need to interrupt existing workflows or waste scarce and valuable time adopting this new functionality into their practice.
For example, to engage with video session scheduling, a client simply logs into ClientConnect and requests a live video session with their case worker or counsellor.
The worker then simply creates a link using the video provider of the social service organization’s choice and adds it as an appointment in Penelope. The link is then immediately displayed in the client’s account and easily accessed from their mobile device or desktop computer.
The new Caregiver feature for ClientConnect enables an authorized caregiver or family member to access the mobile client portal on their client or loved one’s behalf.
This empowers caregivers to communicate with service providers and advocate for the people in their care, while ensuring the level and quality of service they receive is not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the social distancing measures required to fight it.
“The ability of Penelope and ClientConnect to further equip organizations with the tools they need to provide the same outstanding level of care, while respecting social distancing guidelines and ensuring the safety of both workers and clients, will immediately provide extraordinary value to our customers and their clients during the COVID-19 pandemic and its aftermath,” added Bellew.
“We’re proud to have delivered this rapid response development enhancement to provide a flexible, client-centric solution, with virtual collaboration and client engagement tools, that ensures our customers are able to continue providing high-quality support to their clients in a risk-free and highly effective environment,” he said.
Learn more about Athena Software’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic at https://www.athenasoftware.net/covid-19.
