ePACT has made life easier for our parents and provided us with a multifunctional tool, which has allowed us to be more effective recreation service providers.
— Ann Marie Donnelly, Recreation Business Manager, SFRPD

Many recreation departments across North America manage the medical and emergency information they collect from families on paper. In fact, more than 9 million pieces of paper are used to collect this information each year!

The San Francisco Recreation & Park Department (SFRPD) was no different. SFRPD struggled with a cumbersome process for collecting medical information, waivers and consents for each of its program participants.

Families had to complete an information packet for each program session for which their child was registered (each child attended, on average, three or more summer camps).

Administration was challenging for staff who had to regularly follow up with families who had forgotten to submit forms or had missed certain pieces of information. 

There were concerns about the accessibility of information in an emergency, the inability to share records between programs and the security of family data overall.

Then SFRPD switched to ePACT — a cloud-based system that lets park and recreation departments easily and securely collect critical emergency data from families attending multiple programs. Families input their information once and simply use ePACT as their single emergency record to connect and share across multiple programs.

With ePACT, SFRPD transitioned from a disconnected, tedious process to an efficient, standardized system. Since implementing ePACT in the summer of 2016 for camps and afterschool programs, 85 percent of families invited were active in the system within a few
months, and SFRPD noticed significant improvements to its data-collection processes, from start to finish.

ePACT’s centralized, highly secure system helps SFRPD easily manage and monitor administrative access to family data, keeping it safe, secure, HIPAA-compliant and available whenever it’s needed most. Administration time and effort is reduced for staff and parents, as families submit a single online record per child for any programs they attend.

Staff can quickly run reports or view, at-a-glance, which children require support prior to a program, and administrators can send one-click reminders to families who forget to submit their records. As families update their records with new details, like allergies, dietary requirements or special accommodations, SFRPD receives it in real time, allowing staff to better prepare and ensure that everyone can participate safely in activities. It also means departments can continue to support their participants in any emergency, whether it’s a flood at the community center or an allergic reaction, making ePACT an important part of your emergency planning.

NRPA Premier members receive a free set-up and NRPA members receive 50 percent off the set-up fee. Learn more about ePACT. Contact Hayley Herzing with any questions.