Mobile technology in the WIC Program: Day 2 of the WIC Technology and Program Integrity Conference
Published: September 19, 2013
Day two of the WIC Technology and Program Integrity Conference opened with an energetic presentation on the development of the Texas Department of State Health Services’ (DSHS) mobile app for the heavily referenced Health Care Provider’s Guide to Breast Feeding. DSHS utilized an existing partnership with Austin Community College to assist with the interface design and utilized the Texas Department of Information Resources’ (DIR) State Cooperative Purchasing Program to secure a contract with Catapult Systems to develop and deploy the app. The goal of the mobile app project was to “trigger” the behavior of breastfeeding and, ultimately, improve public health outcomes.
The presentation proved that the development of a mobile app – a somewhat intimidating venture from a design, development and cost standpoint – is actually quite feasible. Utilizing a “keep it simple, keep it small” approach and leveraging existing partnerships is key to a low-cost, quick-turnaround mobile app project. This presentation and others honed in on the fact that “WIC is moving on a mobile path.”
Deltek will expand on this and other sessions in our full WIC Technology and Program Integrity Conference recap, to be released next week!