County Dispatch to Provide Medical Data to First Responders

COURT HOUSE – The Cape May County Joint Dispatch Center can instantly provide an individual’s MedicAlert profile information to first responders before they arrive at a 911 emergency call for assistance. 
According to a release, the immediate access to critical information is provided through a partnership between the MedicAlert Foundation and RapidSOS – a free service which is contracted with the center through the efforts of the Cape May County Department of Emergency Management. 
Dispatchers and first responders will have direct access to health and demographic information for MedicAlert members during 9-1-1 calls.
9-1-1 telecommunicators will have access to MedicAlert member data either through a phone number associated with a MedicAlert membership or by querying a MedicAlert membership ID number.
This allows for telecommunicators to receive data when members call for themselves or in the event a bystander calls on behalf of a MedicAlert member during an emergency
“This new feature will absolutely save lives and improve the instant medical response to first responders before they even get to the patient,” stated Freeholder Director Gerald Thornton. “This is another important component of the county’s joint dispatch center and is available to local communities who have made the move to joint dispatch.”
Before this partnership, first responders appearing at the scene of a medical emergency needed to search for a MedicAlert bracelet ID to get relative medical information on the patient they are treating.
With this new partnership through the RapidSOS system in county dispatch, that information is automatically transmitted through dispatch to the first responders before they arrive at the scene. 
When a telecommunicator receives a 9-1-1 call from a phone number associated with a MedicAlert membership, the RapidSOS system will indicate additional data from MedicAlert is available for the incident and is then relayed to the responders en route.
“Every second counts, and all medical information is essential when it comes to a medical emergency,” stated Cape May County Department of Emergency Management Director Martin Pagliughi. “The communities that are part of the county’s central dispatch program automatically have this component integrated into the services we provide, as well as communities who join central dispatch in the future”.
The MedicAlert Foundation, which has over 10 million members, provides a lifeline for populations with conditions including autism, Alzheimer’s, dementia, diabetes, hypertension, allergies, and much more. 
The medical ID’s are part of an online emergency health record that holds critical medical data on the individual who wears the bracelet. 
MedicAlert pioneered the concept of medical identification six decades ago and partnered with RapidSOS in April 2019.
“Our mission at RapidSOS is to connect the world to public safety, empowering first responders with as much information as possible to aid in the emergency response process,” stated Michelle Cahn, RapidSOS director of Community Engagement. “We are excited to partner with organizations like the MedicAlert Foundation and public safety thought leaders like Cape May County Department of Emergency Management to showcase the future of data-driven emergency.”