
The Safe Start Health Check is an automated self-certification health screening tool that will be used to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread on campus and among Seattle University community members. The tool does not provide medical advice or diagnosis and is not a substitute for receiving health care or advice from a qualified provider.
The Safe Start Health Check is a web-based form accessible from mobile and desktop devices that asks questions about current or recent illness, COVID-19 test results, recent close contact with individuals with COVID-19, and Seattle University affiliation. After submission of the form, the user will receive an automated email with their screening results.
The Safe Start Health Check questions and decision-making logic are based on public health guidance from the CDC and Washington State Department of Health. The questions are subject to change based on changing guidance.
Seattle University is using the Safe Start Health Check to promote the safety of all community members and visitors working or learning on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic in compliance with public health guidance from Seattle - King County Public Health, the Washington State Department of Health, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Under the Presidential Task Force on Reopening Fall 2020, Seattle University's Department of Public Safety developed the Safe Start Health Check in collaboration with the Student Health Center and Information Technology Services. More than 150 faculty and staff from departments across campus participated in pilot testing the tool beginning in June 2020.
Every person who completes the Safe Start Health Check will receive an automated email with their screening results. If approved, this email will include a green background, the word "APPROVED" and the current date displayed in a large font. Community members are required to keep this message readily available while on campus, either on a mobile device or printed out on paper.
You may be required to display your approval message to your instructor, supervisor, event coordinator or anyone else acting in a designated capacity to control entry to a campus area. If you will be working or learning in the same space as others for an extended period of time, it is encouraged that you trade approval messages with each other to promote a shared sense of safety. This can be thought of as a community enforcement model.
The examples below are appropriate examples of community enforcement:
As community members who share physical space with each other on a daily basis, it is incumbent on us to use this tool cooperatively and constructively to build a safer and more welcoming campus for everyone. In general, this requires us all to be willing to share our approval messages whenever it may increase feelings of safety and comfort in others. Any attempt to apply these guidelines in an arbitrary, discriminatory or harassing way will not be tolerated and should be reported to Public Safety or the Office of Institutional Equity.
The information collected by the Safe Start Health Check will be used to provide immediate screening decisions (delivered via email) to users, provide insight into the health of the SU community at large, inform decision-making in regard to campus operations and for necessary case investigation and contact tracing purposes.
There are three different levels of data associated with the Safe Start Health Check:
Level 1 data is considered high-risk confidential information under the university's Data Privacy Policy and will be shared only on a need-to-know basis, such as with Seattle University employees conducting COVID-19 case investigations or contact tracing. Seattle University will not share this information with any third party except as required by law or public health directives. You will be notified if your information is shared with any third party outside of Seattle University unless such notification is prohibited by law or court order.
Level 2 data is considered personal data under the university's Data Privacy Policy and is generally available only to Human Resources and Public Safety. This information may be shared on a need-to-know basis within Seattle University only for necessary purposes.
Level 3 data does not include any personally identifiable information, but is generally considered confidential information under the university's Data Privacy Policy This information will be used to understand health and population trends within the Seattle University community and may be shared in limited ways with the campus community.
Contractors and vendors are required to participate in daily health screenings administered by their employers, which are comparable in nature to the Safe Start Health Check. Campus visitors must be registered, screened and complete a Safe Start Health Check similar to the one required for students, faculty and staff.
All Seattle University community members (students, faculty, staff and visitors) regardless of their vaccination status,who will be physically present on campus are required to complete the Safe Start Health Check on a daily basis, prior to arrival.
Yes. Everyone is required to complete the Safe Start Health Check daily, prior to arriving on campus.
Yes, it is required through fall quarter, regardless of vaccination status. Complete your daily Safe Start Health Check screening before coming to campus.
You are not required to use the Safe Start Health Check on days when you will not be physically present on campus.
Only come to campus prior to completing the Safe Start Health Check if all of the following criteria are true:
If you are not employed by the University in a position related to critical infrastructure, the following criteria must also be met:
If you meet these criteria, you may come to campus and use a campus computer to complete the Safe Start Health Check. Please complete the Safe Start Health Check and receive an approval message as soon as possible after arriving.
An automatic daily reminder email is sent every weekday morning at 5:00am, but you must opt in to receive it. To start or stop receiving the daily reminder email, please click here to update your preferences.
We also recommend bookmarking the Safe Start Health Check in your web browser or adding a home screen link to the Safe Start Health Check on your mobile device.
Yes. Please follow the instructions below:
No. Please communicate directly with your instructors about class absences and the possibility of remote learning.
Safe Start Health Check is required through fall quarter, regardless of vaccination status. Complete your daily Safe Start Health Check screening and receive approval prior to leaving your on-campus residence each day. If you do not receive approval, please do not leave your room. Call Public Safety immediately at 206-296-5990.
No. In addition to submitting the Safe Start Health Check, continue to follow your area's existing practices for communicating absences from work. You may also ask your supervisor or Human Resources about remote work, sick time and leave options.
Supervisors outside of Public Safety and Human Resources will not have access to the Safe Start Health Check system and will not be able to see your screening responses. Your supervisor will rely on you to share your screening results with them.
Yes. You should record and report your time spent filling out the Safe Start Health Check as you would any other time spent working. Direct any questions about how to account for this time to your supervisor or Human Resources.
Yes, you must require that all members of your team who are working on campus use the Safe Start Health Check.
The following are examples of how a supervisor or manager may ensure that their team members are using the Safe Start Health Check each day:
Supervisors and managers may develop other methods of screening verification that work best for their organizational units. For additional guidance, contact your area leadership or Human Resources.
No. Screening information is stored by the Safe Start Health Check and does not need to be individually tracked by supervisors.
After each submission of the Safe Start Health Check, you will receive an email with your results and customized resources based on your responses. If you are not approved to be on campus, this email will contain an explanation of why you were not approved. Once the listed reasons no longer apply to you, you may take the screening again to receive approval.
No. Seattle University community members are required to self-report suspected or confirmed COVID-19 illness or possible exposure to COVID-19 by emailing COVID-19-Report@seattleu.edu. Emergency or life-threatening symptoms should be reported to 911.
Yes. If you have had close contact with anyone with a confirmed or highly suspected case of COVID-19 within the past 14 days, you must indicate that in your responses on the Safe Start Health Check and by emailing COVID-19-Report@seattleu.edu.
If you do not intend to come to campus, you do not have to fill out the Safe Start Health Check. Faculty, staff and students who have confirmed or highly suspected cases of COVID-19 must still self-report by emailing COVID-19-Report@seattleu.edu, even if not coming to campus.
The easiest way to tell when you may return to campus is to fill out the Safe Start Health Check. If you are not currently permitted to be on campus, your screening response will include a list of reasons why. Once those reasons are no longer true, you may fill out the Safe Start Health Check again and receive approval to return.
If your health care provider recommends that you stay home even though the Safe Start Health Check approves you to come to campus, please follow the direction of your health care provider and do not come to campus.
If your health care provider clears you to return to work or to normal activities, but you do not receive approval through the Safe Start Health Check, please do not come to campus. Approval through the Safe Start Health Check is always required to be on campus.
If you make a mistake in filling out the Safe Start Health Check, reply to the erroneous screening response email and describe the mistake. Fill out the Safe Start Health Check again with the correct responses. Your most recent response from the Safe Start Health Check system will reflect your current approval status to be on campus. If you have questions, call Public Safety at 206-296-5990.
Please do not submit false responses intentionally just to test the system.
Anyone already approved to be on campus is required to self-monitor for changes in their condition and report any changes by filling out the Safe Start Health Check again. Examples of events requiring re-submission of the Safe Start Health Check could include the development of symptoms during the day or being notified of a COVID-19 exposure. If you are no longer approved to be on campus after re-screening, please leave campus, return home or seek appropriate care. If you live on campus, return immediately to your room and call Public Safety at 206-296-5990.
You should only receive conflicting messages if you submit different responses due to error or a change in condition. Your most recent message from Safe Start Health Check reflects your current approval status to be on campus. If your most recent submission to the Safe Start Health Check was erroneous, follow the guidance above for correcting an erroneous submission.
Complete the screening as soon as possible. If approved, you may remain on campus. If not approved, please return home or seek appropriate care, then email COVID-19-Report@seattleu.edu to report that you were present on campus.