Skip to content
English
Request Support My Requests
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

How PHapp® works

From official source to your phone — verified alerts in 50+ languages

How PHapp® Delivers Trusted Alerts

PHapp® — "Know What Matters. Know What To Do." — delivers verified health and safety alerts from official sources to residents in 50+ languages. Here's how it works.

Step 1: Official Sources Issue Alerts

Alerts originate from trusted, official sources including:

  • CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • NWS/NOAA (National Weather Service / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
  • FDA (Food and Drug Administration)
  • EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
  • USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture)
  • Local and state public health agencies

Step 2: The Issuing Agency Sets the Policy — by Topic

Incoming information is mapped to PHapp® topics (flood, extreme heat, food safety, and so on). For each topic, the issuing agency chooses how alerts go out:

  • Automatic, no delay — for time-critical hazards like tornado or flood, the agency can prepare a template in advance, so the alert publishes the moment the official source issues it. Templates can always carry local follow-through, such as sandbag sites or cooling-center maps.
  • Reviewed first — for other topics, the agency can require staff review and approval before sending, and can schedule when it goes out.

Translations into 50+ languages are human-reviewed for quality.

Step 3: Alerts Are Delivered Across Three Channels

Residents receive alerts on the channel that works best for them:

  • App — download PHapp® for iOS or Android
  • Web — visit ph.app in any browser, no download or sign-up needed
  • Text/SMS — text START to 507-697-4277 (currently in beta)

Step 4: Clear Action Steps Included

Every alert includes clear, specific action steps so residents know exactly what to do — not just what's happening.

How fast, and can it change? For topics an agency automates, alerts reach residents essentially as soon as the official source issues them; for topics set to review-first, timing reflects the agency's review and any scheduling. Every alert keeps a stable link and can be updated or superseded with new information without the link changing.

Built With the Community

PHapp® is shaped by the Wehealth® Forum, a co-development community of public health professionals including epidemiologists, clinicians, emergency managers, and researchers. Their input guides the PHapp® roadmap.

Mission Over Profit

PHapp® is built by Hub Public Benefit Corp, a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation. No ads, no data sales, no tracking — just trusted information that helps communities stay safe.