Effective immediately (August 26, 2021), Dr. Chat Bot, the online tool to screen members of the University community for COVID-19 symptoms each day they are physically on campus, is now required for all students, faculty, staff, post-doctoral fellows, and trainees regardless of the campus or University property, and regardless of vaccination status.
This is a return to the requirement that was in place during the last academic year.
The Dr. Chat Bot daily screening process takes less than a minute to complete and can be done on a computer, tablet, or smartphone with internet access. Everyone who is expected to use it receives daily email reminders with information on completing the mandatory assessment before being on campus, including students living on campus. Faculty and staff in the Medical Center should continue using Dr. Chat Bot as instructed.
The screening involves a set of brief questions about COVID-19–related symptoms, travel and exposure. When users indicate they are not experiencing any of the symptoms, they receive a confirmation that it’s safe to be on campus or in a University-owned or leased building; if an individual is experiencing any one of the listed symptoms, they are prompted to provide more information to University Health Service (for all students and all non–Medical Center employees), or Employee Health (for Medical Center faculty and staff).
To access the Dr. Chat Bot screening tool:
- Non–Medical Center faculty, staff, and all students should use: https://healthlab.urmc.rochester.edu/UniversityHealthScreen.*
- Faculty and staff should enter the credentials used for logging into their work computer or email (Active Directory (AD) credentials);
- Students should enter the credentials they use for University wireless (UR Connected).
* Medical Center employees have been using a separate link to access Dr. Chat Bot and should continue with that process.
If you need help
Anyone who is unsure of their login credentials can visit the IT My Identity Service; login with a NetID. If you have forgotten your password, click Change Forgotten Password for UR Active Directory Account. If you need additional help, call University IT at (585) 275-2000.
If employees do not have internet access available to complete the screening before arriving on campus, they should pre-arrange with their manager to complete it immediately upon arriving to work.
UR Mobile App: Instructions
The UR Mobile app also contains the Dr. Chat Bot tool. First-time users should open the UR Mobile app, wait a few seconds for a black banner stating “New settings available” to pop up from the bottom of the screen, and then tap to update.
Screening visitors to campus
Also effective immediately, any departments or individuals hosting visitors on a University campus should ask visitors to answer the Dr. Chat Bot questions prior to their arrival on campus, regardless of the visitor’s vaccination status.
A printed version of the screening form is provided for the purpose of having visitors complete the questions on paper. Download the form.
If a visitor responds yes to any of the questions, they are not permitted on campus. Otherwise, once the questions are completed, the hosting department or individual should retain the form and keep it on file—it could potentially be important in a future contact tracing process.
Some departments may have other approaches to screening hosted visitors for COVID-19 symptoms—including digital screening tools or verbal questioning—which are also acceptable.
