Helpline – SMS Campaign & Consent

Martha’s Vineyard Area Narcotics Anonymous Helpline

SMS Campaign Description and Proof of End-User Consent

Campaign Description

This campaign provides information to people who call or text the Martha’s Vineyard Area of Narcotics Anonymous helpline. Narcotics Anonymous is a 12-step program for recovery from addiction.

For people who call the helpline, callers first hear a greeting:

“Thank you for calling the Martha’s Vineyard Area Narcotics Anonymous helpline. Press 1 to speak to an addict, press 2 to get a meeting schedule.”

If they press 1, the system tries to connect them with a volunteer; no SMS text is sent in that case to the caller. If they press 2, they are informed that if they want to continue, they will receive a text back with the meeting search results, and are given an opportunity to opt in to do so. The specific prompt they hear is:

“Meeting search results are also sent back by SMS text message. Press 1 to search for meetings by city or county, press 2 to search for meetings by zip code.”

If they hang up at this point, no SMS is sent. If they opt in by pressing 1 or 2, and then provide a city, county, or zip code, the system will read back the resulting meetings found, and then ask:

“Press 1 if you would like these results to be texted to you.”

If the caller presses 1, a single text message with the meeting results is sent. The only SMS we send to callers is in immediate response to their explicit request for meeting information. The system doesn’t send them texts after the one response.

The sample message #1 below shows the response to a query for Narcotics Anonymous meetings in the Martha’s Vineyard area.

Users of the system can also text the name of a city, county, or their zip code to the helpline. The helpline responds by sending back meeting information (like sample message #1 below).

The sample message #2 below is not for end users. It is an example of the message sent to helpline volunteers to alert them that there is an incoming call to the helpline; they also get a voice call from the system. This is sent only to volunteers who have agreed to answer calls from the Narcotics Anonymous helpline for their area and have received training on how to respond to calls. The training includes guidance on maintaining the confidentiality of information given by callers seeking help. This is a peer-to-peer help program, rather than one involving medical professionals.

Sample message #1

Step Up To Recovery Tuesday 7:00 PM, 54 Short Hill Road, Vineyard Haven, MA, 02568

Sample message #2

You have an incoming phoneline call from +150855512

How do end-users consent to receive messages?

Before end users who call the Martha’s Vineyard Area Narcotics Anonymous helpline receive a message, they hear a prompt:

“Meeting search results are also sent back by SMS text message. Press 1 to search for meetings by city or county, press 2 to search for meetings by zip code.”

This prompt informs them that if they opt in by pressing 1 or 2, they will receive an SMS. If they hang up at this point, no SMS is sent. If they opt in by pressing 1 or 2, and then provide a city, county, or zip code, the system reads back the resulting meetings found. The caller is then prompted:

“Press 1 if you would like these results to be texted to you.”

If the caller presses 1, a single SMS is sent. No further texts are sent.

The date and time that consent was given is recorded in the record for that interaction. If a report is later generated, the report will include this event and its time stamp, using the following language: “Caller Consented to Receive SMS; Meeting Search Location Gathered.”

The other use case is end users who text their city, county, or zip code to the helpline. In that case, the system texts back the meeting search results directly. No further texts are sent. This case is covered by the Contact initiated by an individual alternative consent requirement described in https://www.twilio.com/en-us/legal/messaging-policy:

If an individual sends a message to you, you are free to respond in an exchange with that individual. For example, if an individual texts your phone number asking for your hours of operation, you can respond directly to that individual, relaying your open hours. In such a case, the individual’s inbound message to you constitutes both consent and proof of consent.