Algonquin College implements an interactive voice response (IVR) solution from Ottawa-based Vocantas Inc. to help it respond to a pandemic in the resident population. The school is using the turnkey solution to identify the lifecycle stage of influenza and other infectious diseases, and track the origins of the outbreak. Algonquin recently conducted trials of the IVR solution, which automatically contacted test subjects by phone and recorded answers to a number of questions specifically designed to help create a response plan in the case of the spread of disease in the future. “This system allows us to quickly and accurately gauge our residents’ health status, and has enhanced our ability to effectively respond in the event of a pandemic,” says Robert Gillett, president of Algonquin. “Vocantas’ proficiency with healthcare applications has proven to be highly instrumental in the successful implementation of the system.”