By Donna Dibiaso
It is great to see so many new residents within the gates of Big Canoe. Many of these residents did not have the benefit of attending a new homeowner orientation meeting since these were cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, many people are unaware of all of the great services available within Big Canoe. One such service is the Big Canoe Medical Information Program.
The Wellness Collaborative and Big Canoe Public Safety Department jointly administer the Medical Information Program. The purpose of the program is to provide confidential medical and personal information to healthcare providers and first responders in case of an emergency. This can be critical in instances where an individual is unable to provide such information because of the circumstances around an emergency.
The medical information kit includes a two-page form to be completed by each member of the household. There are two forms within each kit, but additional forms can be obtained at www.bcwell.org/medicalform. The forms provide healthcare providers information regarding the homeowner’s primary care physician, any specialists, health insurance, allergies, prescriptions, medical conditions and more. Kits are also available at the fire station, Wellness Center or on the counter near the Wellness Collaborative bulletin board in the postal facility.
Public Safety Department’s first responders are trained to look for the medical information kit inside a resident’s refrigerator.
Once all members of the family have completed the form, all forms should be placed within the plastic bag provided with the kit and attached to the inside-left upper wall of your refrigerator. The plastic bag comes with double-sided tape, so it easily attaches to the refrigerator wall. The forms can be removed and taken with the homeowner if they need to be transported to a hospital or other medical facility.
In the event of a medical emergency, Big Canoe Public Safety’s first responders are trained to look for the medical information kit inside the resident’s refrigerator, so Public Safety encourages all residents to complete the kit and place it in their refrigerator as instructed.
The Wellness Collaborative also reminds residents there are several mobile apps available for use with iOS and Android mobile phones and tablets that allow you to add your emergency contacts and other medical information without the need to know your phone’s password. Two such apps are ICE Medical Standard and ICE— In Case of Emergency. These apps are extremely important if a resident is found alone when first responders arrive. Both are free to download in either Apple’s App Store or on Google Play.
Taking the time to complete the form and placing it where indicated above, along with adding an app to your mobile phone or tablet with emergency contact info, could possibly save your life someday. The Wellness Collaborative strongly encourages everyone to participate in this program.
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