Girl Guides of Canada—Guides du Canada (GGC) is using ePACT to securely collect and manage critical health and emergency information for members in British Columbia.
ePACT replaces the need to fill out a paper form and is a more secure and quickly accessible electronic format to access girls’ health information. This tool will continue to alleviate administrative burdens on both Guiders and caregivers!
Below are some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that can help you learn more about this project.
ePACT FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
Q. What is ePACT?
A. ePACT is a secure emergency network, that Girl Guides of Canada (GGC) is using to collect medical and emergency contact information electronically from caregivers for girls. It will replace the Personal Health Form - Girl Members (H.1) and it will also help GGC accelerate communication with families in the event of an illness, injury, or larger scale emergency. ePACT surveys have found the following insights from families:
- 91% prefer it over paper forms
- 93% find it easy to use
- 93% agree that it makes them feel safer – enabling them to better manage any emergency
Q. How does ePACT work?
A. You will receive an email invite from ePACT to share your information with them. When received, click ‘Complete Request’ to create a free account, or log-in (and link to an existing account, if your Girl Guide caregiver account is different from your ePACT account email address) if you already have an existing ePACT account. Enter the required information and share access with GGC.
Q. What kind of information does ePACT collect?
A. During the sign-up process, ePACT will ask you medically specific questions about your child, such as medical information, allergies, health conditions and medications while also obtaining your emergency contact information.
Q. What are the benefits to you?
A.
- Saving you time – with ePACT, you only need to enter your child's information once. You can then use that same record for other programs or subsequent years at GGC.
- Better support – it’s easy for you to share comprehensive health and emergency contact details with ePACT, so GGC can provide the best support to your child. You can also update her information at any time, so GGC always has access to her current information.
- Peace of mind – enjoy even more peace of mind knowing that your child's health and emergency contact information is at the digital fingertips of anyone who needs it at GGC.
Q. What are the benefits to your child's Guider(s)?
A. Partnering with ePACT will allow your child's Guider(s) to:
- Have real-time access to important information – once you’ve signed up, a digital record of her information will be easily accessible by her Guider or any event organizer(s). It will be accessible to them from anywhere with the mobile app – even without an internet connection!
- Respond quickly to emergencies – access to that data will allow for quick identification of girls with specific allergies or medical conditions, if Guiders need that information.
- Use your latest emergency contact information – in the event of an emergency, your most up-to-date emergency contact details will be digitally available to those who need them.
Q. What is the process to sign-up and what happens if I don’t?
A. We HIGHLY encourage you to follow the prompts in the ePACT email that will be sent to you, and sign-up ASAP. Getting this taken care of as soon as you can ensures that we have your child's / ward’s current health and emergency contact information in digital form. If you do not sign up before your child / ward attends a meeting, you will have to fill out a paper-based version in-person. Additionally, if your child / ward does any trips or events, not with her unit, she will be required to have a new health form for each event.
Q. As a GGC caregiver, is it mandatory to sign my child up for ePACT?
A. No, it is not mandatory to sign your child up for ePACT, however it is highly recommended. Doing so brings additional benefits to you and your child as well as her Guider(s) – enabled by access to digital information.
Q. I did not receive a sign-up email from ePACT – what do I do now?
A. The below decision tree will help you determine the appropriate steps to take (click image to see a larger version):
Q. What information does ePACT collect on behalf of GGC?
A.ePACT will only request and collect information found on the Personal Health Form - Girl Members (H.1). Information from other forms may be collected in the future (e.g. wellness statement, medication records etc.) – this decision will be made at a later date.
Q. Where is the information stored that ePACT collects?
A. ePACT data is stored on secure servers located only in Canada.
Q. How secure is my child's information with ePACT?
A. ePACT deals with very sensitive and confidential information. As such, it is a highly secure network that uses industry best practice encryption and data protection standards. It meets (and often exceeds) the same security standards as online financial institutions. As a company, ePACT is also FOIPPA (Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act), PIPEDA (Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act) and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act) compliant.
Q. Do I need to sign-up for ePACT every new Guiding year?
A.No. If you’ve already signed up for ePACT and shared access with GGC (regardless of when) you DO NOT need to input your information again. However, you are responsible for maintaining two things moving forward:
- Your child's current medical information. You will be prompted once a year to validate her existing information within ePACT; changes can also be made at any time during the year if information changes.
- Your emergency contact information. If this information changes at any time, you can update it in one place, and it will automatically be updated across any other units/Girl Guide events with which you have also shared your record.
Q. My child has transferred or is moving to another unit - how do I share my child's ePACT information with her new unit?
A. If your child transfers units during the Guiding year or if she is moving another unit in the next Guiding year, her ePACT record will be shared with her new unit (and removed from her previous unit).
Just before the start to the new Guiding year, you’ll receive a reminder from ePACT to login and review your account. This ensures the most up to date information can be shared with your child's unit Guider before the start of the Guiding year.
Q. If I have a question regarding ePACT, who can I contact for support?
A. The Customer Success Team at ePACT is ready to support you! You can send questions and/or feedback directly to them via help@epactnetwork.com or you can call 1-855-773-7228 ext. 1 to speak with the team.
Q. Is there an ePACT training resource I can access?
A. Yes, there is! Click to access a one-minute video tutorial on how to log on to ePACT’s platform and share your child's health information.
Q. I’m looking for more resources on ePACT – where can I go?
A. Please see below for a range of helpful resources:
Blog Posts
Videos
Websites
Q. Is ePACT available in French?
A. Currently, ePACT is only available in English.
Q. If I have signed-up for ePACT, can I sign up?
A. Yes! ePACT will be sending a sign-up email to any families that have not completed the process before. Follow the instructions in the email to finalize your ePACT account.