College Students and Parents Take Extra Precaution This Halloween with Umergency
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. (PRWEB) October 11, 2018 -- Halloween has become a favorite holiday among college students. While these undergraduates take great care in planning their costumes and evening celebrations, many do not realize they could be making an unexpected trip to the emergency room.
Studies show that more than 4 million college-aged adults already visit the ER every year, and you can expect to see an upsurge in these numbers during Halloween due to increased alcohol consumption, assaults and accidents.
In today’s era of heightened concerns, thousands of college families have found solace by downloading Umergency, the all-in-one safety app that provides the tools for students and parents to navigate any emergency, health or safety situation.
“As a mom with a child in college studying across the country, I’m always worried for his safety,” said Elena Cates of Los Angeles, one of thousands of parents using the app. “Kids will always feel like nothing can happen to them, and I am particularly concerned during Halloween and want to be prepared in case of any emergency.”
Although Halloween may appear to be a light-hearted holiday, consider the following:
- Alcohol consumption increases by 30 percent on Halloween.
- Of the 85 percent of students that consume alcohol during Halloween, 57 percent will drink to intoxication.
- More than 50 percent of college sexual assaults occur in the fall.
- A 2015 study revealed 30 percent more ER admissions among adults on Halloween than there were on New Year's Eve.
Umergency is growing. Downloads of the popular safety app have increased exponentially since the start of the 2018 back-to-school season:
“We built Umergency with both parents and students in mind, and now thousands of college families are using this sorely need resource to stay prepared,” said Gail Schenbaum, co-founder of Umergency whose harrowing experience when her daughter was away at college was the impetus for creating the app. “Umergency gives parents and students peace of mind, especially around holidays like Halloween when there is a rise in binge drinking and assaults on and off campuses.”
Available for download in the App Store and Google Play, Umergency provides a variety of accessible resources, including an:
- Urgent Alert beacon with the student’s GPS location that notifies parents and trusted contacts when immediate help is needed;
- “I am safe” function that alerts contacts when a student is okay;
- Digital medical consent form, granting families the ability to speak with medical professionals; and
- Insurance card upload and share function.
The app also comes pre-populated with local and on-campus emergency resource contacts customized to each college or university, including police, fire, ER, and urgent care personnel, health centers, psychological and other after-hours services hotlines. It also provides built-in access to three of the most used national crisis hotlines, such as suicide, sexual assault and poison control.
The Umergency app is currently available for free to college students in the United States, and costs $9.99 per year or $19.99 for lifetime access for parents, family members, or other non-students.
About Umergency™
Umergency is an emergency, health and safety app designed for college students and their families. The local and on-campus information comes pre-populated and is specific to each student’s campus, while the user-entered data is unique to each student and allows them to decide what to share and with whom. An Urgent Alert beacon notifies trusted contacts when immediate help is needed, along with the student’s GPS location. Additional features include the ability to upload and share a secure copy of the student’s health insurance card, and a digital medical consent form which can allow the student’s trusted friends and family to speak with medical personnel. Learn more about the app by visiting http://www.umergencyapp.com or follow on Facebook @Umergency, Twitter @Umergency and Instagram @Umergency.
George Medici, PondelWilkinson, http://www.umergencyapp.com, 3102795968, [email protected]
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