Church Mutual partners with SafelyYou to increase use of fall technology, offset rising insurance rates

PR Newswire

MERRILL, Wis. and SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Church Mutual Insurance Company, S.I. (a stock insurer)¹is launching a preferred vendor program with SafelyYou to introduce revolutionary fall prevention technology to its memory care customers. This technology will ultimately decrease fall risks, emergency room visits and the long-term cost of insurance premiums.

"Our research shows that SafelyYou's memory care-focused technology reduces resident falls by an average of 40%, so we are excited to share this game-changing technology with our senior living customers," said Jim Ketterson, Director – Special Business Unit/Senior Living for Church Mutual®. "By accelerating the adoption of the technology, our goal is to help keep professional liability loss costs down and offset increasing insurance rates. Once our customers get to experience the technology in action, we are confident they will be interested in deploying it more fully throughout their communities."

SafelyYou uses artificial intelligence technology to provide real-time video of resident falls. When an incident happens, it alerts care staff immediately so the video can be reviewed and appropriate action can be taken. Privacy and liability are protected through cameras that activate only when a fall is detected. Memory care staff can use the videos to determine root cause, the need for an ER visit and resident-specific care strategies. Learnings can be applied globally to reduce falls.

"Church Mutual has been working with senior living communities for more than 40 years and is at the forefront of providing the latest safety resources to its customers," said George Netscher, CEO for SafelyYou. "They share our mission and values, and we are honored to be named a preferred vendor. We're thrilled to have the opportunity to work with their wide network of senior living communities and all the residents they serve."

Church Mutual Senior Living Professional Liability Customers may be eligible for a pilot installation of SafelyYou's technology. For more information, please visit www.churchmutual.com/SafelyYou.

About SafelyYou
Originating five years ago as the doctorate research of CEO George Netscher at the top-ranked UC Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research Lab, SafelyYou utilizes cutting-edge artificial intelligence to empower care staff to implement fall prevention. Following the conclusion of a NIH-sponsored study with 11 memory care communities, research demonstrated 41% fewer falls and 69% fewer ER visits from falls. Specifically designed for Memory Care, or care for residents with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, SafelyYou utilizes AI detection and subsequent fall video review to provide better support for unwitnessed falls through robust ER decision making and root cause analysis to support fall prevention. Privacy and liability are protected through cameras that only activate when a fall is detected as validated by numerous independent legal counsels and liability insurance providers. Today, this proven technology is successfully deployed in numerous communities in the U.S. and Canada. For more information, please visit www.safely-you.com or call 415-579-3630.

About Church Mutual
Church Mutual Insurance Company, S.I., founded in 1897, offers specialized insurance for religious organizations of all denominations, public and private K-12 schools, colleges and universities, senior living facilities, secular and non-secular camps and conference centers, and nonprofit and human services organizations throughout the United States. Church Mutual markets most lines of commercial property and liability insurance, including multi-peril, workers' compensation and commercial auto insurance. In addition to insurance, Church Mutual provides a spectrum of value-added solutions that benefit its customers. Church Mutual holds the following honors:

A.M. Best Company "A" (excellent) rating
BenchmarkPortal Top 10 National Customer Service Center
Wisconsin 75 Top Private Company by Deloitte US, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019
Wisconsin 75 Distinguished Performer: Innovation by Deloitte US 2019
Futuremakers Partner by Wisconsin Technical College System
Celent Model Insurer for innovation and emerging technologies
Award in Innovation for entrepreneurialism and innovation by National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies
2018-2019 Employer of the Year by Northcentral Technical College