Blackboard Connect Helps California Keep Public Informed on Pertussis and Flu

Oct. 7, 2010 - PRLog -- With pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough, reaching an epidemic level in California, Blackboard Inc.  is working with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to help inform students, parents and residents about the potentially deadly disease.

Blackboard has made available a pre-recorded message from CDPH Director Dr. Mark Horton, which can be sent for free by all K-12 schools and districts, colleges and universities and local governments using the Blackboard Connect™ service. The message, which can be sent in voice and text form to millions of Californians, emphasizes the importance of children and adults getting vaccinated to protect against pertussis, as infants are particularly vulnerable.

“Don’t let this preventable disease strike you or your family,” says Dr. Horton in the message. “Make sure children are caught up on their pertussis immunizations. Children 7-9 years of age who did not complete their childhood vaccination series need to get a pertussis booster. And everyone age 10 and older should get a booster vaccine to protect against pertussis.”

While symptoms often mirror the common cold, pertussis is a highly contagious disease that is usually spread by coughing and sneezing of infected persons. According to the CDPH, the number of cases of pertussis is higher than it has been in 50 years.

Blackboard and CDPH first partnered last spring to help manage the spread of H1N1 in California. Schools and colleges used the Blackboard Connect™ platform to send voice, text and e-mail messages from Dr. Horton with important tips on flu prevention and vaccine information.

Now Blackboard is sharing the director’s pertussis message with more than 1,000 educators and public health leaders in California.

“Knowledge and information is the first defense against disease,” said Ed Miller, President of Blackboard Connect. “With the Blackboard Connect mass notification service, our customers can reach thousands of Californians quickly through voice, email and SMS text messages, providing critical information from top public health officials.”

For more information about Blackboard’s mass notification solutions, please visit http://blackboard.com/Alert-Notification/Overview.aspx.

For more information about CDPH and vaccine locations, please visit www.cdph.ca.gov.

About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard Inc.  is a global leader in enterprise technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of millions of students and learners around the world every day. Blackboard’s solutions allow thousands of higher education, K-12, professional, corporate, and government organizations to extend teaching and learning online, facilitate campus commerce and security, and communicate more effectively with their communities. Founded in 1997, Blackboard is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Blackboard and other statements containing the words “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “will,” and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including the factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of our Form 10-Q filed on August 9, 2010 with the SEC. In addition, the forward-looking statements included in this press release represent the Company’s views as of October 7, 2010. The Company anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause the Company’s views to change. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company’s views as of any date subsequent to October 7, 2010.

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Blackboard Inc.  is a global leader in enterprise technology and innovative solutions that improve the experience of millions of students and learners around the world every day.