Reckitt, The Maker Of Lysol®, Partners With Kinsa To Build New York City's First-Ever Citywide Early Warning System For Preventable Illness

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Sept. 22, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Reckitt, the maker of Lysol®, and Kinsa, a public health company on a mission to help curb the spread of illness, today announced the launch of the New York City FLUency™ school health program. Born out of a first-of-its-kind private-public partnership between the New York City Department of Health and Mayor's Office, Lysol, and Kinsa, the new program lays the groundwork for the city's first effective early warning system for preventable illness. Through funding from Reckitt, more than 80,000 families and teachers at participating public elementary school across all five boroughs will receive free Kinsa smart thermometers along with more than 100,000 canisters of Lysol ® Disinfecting Wipes, which are approved by the EPA to be effective in protecting against the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

"After the tragedy and devastation that COVID-19 brought to our city in the last two years, it's more clear than ever that New York City needs early warning systems to predict and detect the spread of illnesses. I'm excited to see this partnership between Kinsa and Lysol that will help protect our children and all New Yorkers," said Corey Johnson, Speaker of the New York City Council. 

Beyond simply taking temperature, Kinsa smart thermometers – used with a companion mobile application – guide users to appropriate care and treatment to get healthier faster, while also aggregating anonymous indicators of spreading illness. While completely protecting individual privacy, school leaders, doctors and city public health officials in New York City will be able to monitor school illness trends through a private dashboard. Schools can then use this data on where symptoms are starting and spreading to inform health and safety policies like social distancing, increased disinfection or remote learning, and can encourage preventative behaviors to reduce community transmission.

"Just as we have advanced warning systems for hurricanes or tornadoes, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us just how important it is to have an early warning system for preventable illness," said Kinsa founder and CEO Inder Singh. "By growing the network of Kinsa thermometers in New York City, we're creating an illness early warning system that will help the city stop outbreaks early and ultimately save lives and livelihoods, while advancing public health across the city."

In addition to funding the distribution of Kinsa smart thermometers and donating Lysol disinfection solutions, Reckitt will also provide Lysol Welcome Back Packs to all participating schools. Co-created with the CDC Foundation, Lysol Welcome Back Packs – also available digitally for teachers nationwide to download and print – are filled with fun and educational materials, posters, floor decals, and more to educate students on healthy habits. Materials include supplies to be used in hallways, teacher lounges, and other common areas around the school, as well as materials for teachers to use in their individual classrooms. The assets included in the packs all focus on healthy habits such as proper social distancing, cough and sneeze etiquette, handwashing, mask-wearing, and making sure to alert parents and teachers if you feel sick.

"Returning to in-person learning is a top priority, second only to ensuring all New Yorkers stay healthy," said Jay Varma, recently senior adviser for public health at City Hall. "We are grateful to Kinsa and Lysol for making it possible for our city schools to be part of a program helping to protect our students and administrators, while strengthening the infrastructure that will enable our school and city leaders to make informed, data-driven decisions to help stop the spread of illness."

Lysol's support of FLUency is part of its larger HERE for Healthy Schools initiative, launched to help curb the spread of preventable illnesses in schools. Through education, funding research, and working with partners, Lysol is helping kids miss less school days so they are able to learn, grow and thrive.

"We are excited to work with Kinsa, the NYC Department of Health, and the Mayor's Office in a way that so closely aligns with our mission of helping to curb the spread of illness in schools," said E. Yuri Hermida, EVP North America Hygiene at Reckitt. "Education is a crucial part of a child's development, and we are proud to support education during these unprecedented times. As schools continue to navigate the return to in-person learning amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Lysol wants to help ensure that educators, administrators and public health officials have access to the supplies and resources they need to continue the fight against the spread of the virus."

In 2020, Lysol announced plans to invest more than $20 million over three years to expand HERE for Healthy Schools into every Title I school in the U.S., reaching 15 million children by 2022. Through education, research funding, and strategic partnerships, the program aims to minimize the spread of germs in the classroom. Lysol Disinfecting Wipes and Lysol Disinfectant Spray are approved by the U.S. EPA to kill SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. For a full list of U.S. EPA approved Lysol products that are effective against SARS-CoV-2 please visit www.lysol.com.

HERE for Healthy Schools is part of Reckitt's Fight for Access efforts to improve access to health, hygiene and nutrition for all. To learn more about HERE for Healthy Schools, visit: www.hereforhealthyschools.lysol.com. 

ABOUT HERE FOR HEALTHY SCHOOLS

In 2012 Lysol created the Healthy Habits Program in partnership with the National Education Association (NEA), National PTA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The Healthy Habits Program includes downloadable activities for teachers and parents of children grades K-5 to help them build illness prevention habits. As a part of Lysol's mission to curb the spread of illness in classrooms, Lysol expanded the program and created the HERE for Healthy Schools initiative. Every year 60 million school days are missed by children nationwide due to preventable illnesses like cold and flu, taking away the lasting experiences and learning they gain in the classroom. By educating on healthy habits, funding research, and working with partners, Lysol is sharing its mission to help kids miss less school so they are able to learn and grow and thrive. For more information visit: Lysol.com/HERE.  

ABOUT RECKITT

Reckitt** is driven by its purpose to protect, heal and nurture in a relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. We fight to make access to the highest-quality hygiene, wellness and nourishment a right, not a privilege, for everyone. Reckitt is proud to have a stable of trusted household brands found in households in more than 190 countries. These include Enfamil, Nutramigen, Nurofen, Strepsils, Gaviscon, Mucinex, Durex, Scholl, Clearasil, Lysol, Dettol, Veet, Harpic, Cillit Bang, Mortein, Finish, Vanish, Calgon, Woolite, Air Wick and more. 20 million Reckitt products a day are bought by consumers globally.

Reckitt's passion to put consumers and people first, to seek out new opportunities, to strive for excellence in all that we do, and to build shared success with all our partners, while doing the right thing, always is what guides the work of our 40,000+ diverse and talented colleagues worldwide. For more information visit reckitt.com/us.

**Reckitt is the trading name of the Reckitt Benckiser group of companies 

ABOUT KINSA

Kinsa's mission is to help individuals and communities stop the spread of infectious illness through early detection and early response. To achieve this mission, Kinsa has built a communication network that connects more than two million users with a free app, email alerts, and the first device used when illness is suspected -- a thermometer. Kinsa studies the unique features of an illness and incorporates what's circulating nearby to offer personalized guidance from symptom onset through recovery. By analyzing geographic illness trends, Kinsa quickly identifies at-risk areas and mobilizes the organizations that can help stop the spread. Learn more: www.kinsahealth.com.

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SOURCE Lysol