Facebook has released a new tool aimed at connecting users to preventative health resources, reminders and finding affordable preventative healthcare.
The tool, called Preventative Health, follows another healthcare feature Facebook released earlier this year to make it easy to sign up as a blood donor and notifies users when nearby blood banks are in need.
Facebook cited data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that found tens of millions of people in the U.S. are missing out on recommended precautionary care. The tool is primarily aimed at some of the worst health crises in the country: heart disease, cancer and the flu.
The tool recommends users checkups, tests and exams based on resources from the American Cancer Society, American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and CDC. Users can mark tests complete, set reminders to schedule future tests and find affordable places to receive healthcare.
While most of the measure recommended by the organizations working with Facebook are free with insurance coverage, the tool offers those without coverage the ability to find Federally Qualified Health Centers near them.
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Facebook’s healthcare privacy promise
Facebook, which has been under fire recently for privacy concerns, vowed a strict adherence to protecting its users’ privacy when it comes to the company’s new healthcare tool.
Test results won’t be given to Facebook or the health organizations working with Facebook, the company said in a news release.
“Personal information about your activity in Preventive Health is not shared with third parties, such as health organizations or insurance companies, so it can’t be used for purposes like insurance eligibility,” Facebook said.
The data will be secure with access restricted to a group of people working on the product and maintaining the system, Facebook said.
Users won’t be shown ads based on the information provided to Preventative Health, but clicks to external links from Preventative Health will inform the ads Facebook shows.
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