Sheriff Harris, Officer Kelly Blevins kick off Vial of Life program

Tag : refrigerator sheet

Once again Sheriff Kent Harris has gone above and beyond the callof duty to insure the safety and well being of the citizens ofUnicoi County. His care and concern for the elderly in the countyhas been a blessing to many. Some of the elderly folks have saidthat their regular call from the sheriff's department, checking onthem to make sure they are okay, is often the only call theyreceive from the outside world on any given day.
By implementing his newest program geared toward the medical safetyof our county's citizens, many lives may be saved through hisefforts.
The day was reminiscent of a day in Mayberry as the citizens ofUnicoi County laughed and joked with Sheriff Harris and OfficerKelly Blevins on Friday during the kick off of the "Vial ofLife" program.
Harris and Blevins spent most of the day on Friday traveling todifferent meeting points throughout the county, explaining theconcept of the program and distributing the vials and forms to thepublic.
The Beacon caught up with the pair at Erwin Housing Authority at750 Carolina Ave. in Erwin. Several people were present to sign upfor the program.
"We don't ask anyone for any personal information,"Sheriff Harris explained. "We don't ask what type ofmedication you're taking or your medical history. Nothing about youwill be put into our database. What you put on the medical formswill not be seen by us or anyone else except in the event of anemergency when the information would be needed by the respondingemergency personnel. All we ask if that you sign your name on thesign-up sheet and that way we will know in advance that you areparticipating in the program and should you have a medicalemergency the responding team will know to look for yourinformation vial in the refrigerator."
As Sheriff Harris explained, participants are to fill out the formthat is given out along with the vial. The form provides a placefor all the medications they are currently taking, what type if anyallergies they have, any medical condition they suffer from such asheart or lung disease, diabetes, etc. and then the paper is to befolded up and placed inside the bottle with the Vial of Livesticker on it and the bottle placed inside the refrigerator.
Harris recommended it be placed in the inside of the refrigeratordoor where it can be seen easily. This will save precious momentsthat would otherwise be spent trying to determine a person's priormedical history or locate their medications in the event of anemergency. It would also let the authorities know who to contactwith the news of the emergency. This program could save theperson's life if he or she was unable to talk or if they happenedto be unconscious. He said it is very important for those who livealone and those with severe medical conditions and allergies tosign up for the program.
Along with the vial and the medical form the participants weregiven a sticker that is to be placed on the front door of the home.When emergency personnel arrive, this lets them know that they canfind all the medical information in the vial inside therefrigerator.
If you or anyone you know has a medical condition, severe allergiesto certain medications or other medical conditions that might belife threatening, the forms and vials are available at the UnicoiCounty Sheriff's Department. It is a free service and could saveyour life or the life of someone you love.