Innovation, Teamwork, and Healthcare Awards

Innovation and Teamwork produces results at Healthcare Awards for ECG

Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, Electronic Caregiver continues to make waves in the healthcare industry and its community. Recently, Electronic Caregiver team members gained recognition for their innovations, teamwork, and achievements at the 4th Annual Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce Healthcare Awards.

The event honors healthcare workers, including physicians, nurses, and support services in Las Cruces, New Mexico, Electronic Caregiver’s home base. This year, on Saturday, Nov. 14th., the 2020 Healthcare Awards went virtual due to COVID19. Therefore it was broadcast on the CW channel and social media. Electronic Caregiver was among four other individuals and teams recognized for their impact in the healthcare industry. Electronic Caregiver’s Chief Technology Officer Dr. David Keeley received the Innovation Award. The department he leads, D3-Innovation, received the Teamwork Award.

Chief Technology Officer Dr. David Keeley receives Innovation Award

Dr. Keeley Healthcare Awards recipient

Keeley said he feels honored to have been chosen for the Innovation Award. He added that it would not have been possible without the support of his family and others at Electronic Caregiver. “In the grand scheme of things, without the wonderful team of developers I work with – without their focus, effort, and dedication – obviously, none of this would be possible,” Keeley said in his acceptance speech. “So, this is not something I view as an individual accolade or award. This is something I view as an ECG and team award…Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to deliver anything that would put us in the running for this.”

Certainly, Keeley received the Innovation Award for his ability to be creative and think outside the box. Initially, when COVID-19 hit the U.S., Keeley and his team, D3-Innovation, quickly pivoted. They developed innovative solutions aimed at slowing the spread of the virus. Their mission was to help people get back to work, back to learning, and back to living.

NMSU and International Expansion

Healthcare awards recognize the work for protecting people going back to work

After that, during the summer, Keeley and his department collaborated with New Mexico State University to enhance Electronic Caregiver’s Premier. Developers transformed the smart health device into a system that detects and monitors symptoms of COVID-19. The project falls in line with NMSU’s commitment to providing a safe environment for students and staff on campus. Consequently, about 100 volunteers at NMSU are using the device to test the system’s feasibility as a method of COVID-19 mitigation.

Consecutively, when the NMSU project launched, Electronic Caregiver also expanded its health technology into international territory. Keeley led his team in developing an app, called WallPass™, in partnership with Paracelsus Medical University in Austria. The app identifies and tracks COVID-19 exposure risk among athletes. Five professional teams on the Austrian Soccer Bundesliga, the highest-ranking national league in Austrian soccer, are using the app.

WallPass™ & AddisonPass™

In addition, as a complement to WallPass™, Keeley and his team created AddisonPass™, geared toward sports fans and event attendees. This innovation was an extra factor in winning the Innovation Teamwork Award. AddisonPass checks individuals for COVID-19 symptoms before allowing them access to major venues, such as stadiums or concert halls. Anyone who might show signs of infection could potentially receive a refund or pass their ticket along to another spectator.

Protector Initiative™

Lastly, Keeley led his team in developing the Protector Initiative™. The advanced web application helps companies and organizations prescreen individuals for infectious diseases before entering high-risk areas. This includes the workplace, health facilities, schools, senior communities, places of worship, and more. Individuals can access the Protector Initiative program via a web portal on their personal device or a kiosk located on-site. The program records vitals, such as oxygen saturation and body temperature, to detect symptoms of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases.

Undoubtedly, the pandemic has posed many challenges for Electronic Caregiver, but it has also presented many opportunities. “It’s been a very dynamic and stressful situation, and it’s had a very big impact on Electronic Caregiver,” Keeley said. “But I think, from a company perspective, it’s allowed us to think more freely with how we can deliver services to people in the home.

Above all, Keeley stated that winning the Innovation and Teamwork Healthcare Awards recognizes those efforts and is a true honor. “This means the world to me as it relates to being able to validate the things that we have designed, developed, and delivered to the world to try and help people get back to normal,” he said.

Innovation, Teamwork and Healthcare Awards Gala

In addition, Keeley’s team, D3-Innovation, expressed gratitude for winning the Teamwork Award. This award acknowledges the department’s ability to work productively and cohesively on Electronic Caregiver’s COVID-19 solutions. Despite obstacles, the team made up of about 60 developers, pulled together to create this potentially life-saving technology. They worked together while inspiring others to take ownership of the task. “I feel like we’re so successful because we hold each other accountable,” said Michael Lyon, software developer. “We succeed together, and we fail together.”

When the pandemic hit, D3-Innovation responded to meet the demands of customers swiftly. “We were trying to build applications really quickly,” said software developer Isaiah Fielder. “Our team had to get all the primers of COVID. Everyone was trying to figure out what COVID is, figure out that research. That was a big challenge for us. We had to try to provide what the market and what our customers wanted as it pertains to COVID. Our team overcame this by just being willing to communicate effectively when new things would come.”

Sierra Guerrero, 3D Graphic Artist, is happy D3-Innovation received the Teamwork Healthcare Award. “Our team really had to find different ways to work together this year,” she said. “It feels really cool to win because it shows that all of our hard work is finally paying off.”

Not Stopping

Moving forward, Keeley said Electronic Caregiver will continue to solve problems in the healthcare field. It will continue to be of service to the Las Cruces community, the country, and the world. “We appreciate all the support everybody’s given us,” he said in his acceptance speech. “Know that we’re not going to stop. We’re going to continue to develop and deliver technology that is going to help everybody get back to normal…So, the validation that comes with accepting and winning this award is something I don’t think I’ll ever forget.”

Electronic Caregiver proudly served as a sponsor for the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce Healthcare Awards of 2020.