New Police Service Partnership Looks to Protect Most Vulnerable Populations

Police Services across Nova Scotia partner with MedicAlert to launch vital program that provides
first-responders 24/7-hour access to health information

HALIFAX, May 19, 2020 /CNW/ - Look. Read. Call. For nearly 60 years, the MedicAlert emblem has signaled to first-responders an immediate gateway to vital health information.

All 10 municipal police services across Nova Scotia have partnered with MedicAlert to launch Connect Protect. The Program is designed to provide first-responders a visual cue for individuals who have cognitive diagnoses, mental health conditions or other disabilities that make it difficult to speak for themselves in an emergency.

The MedicAlert Connect Protect Program provides police with 24-hour secure access to its Subscriber Health Information Database (SHID). SHID contains critical health information and data including emergency contact information, photograph and physical description, as well as wandering history. The service also offers behaviour management strategies such as anxiety triggers and de-escalation techniques. A vital tool in search and rescue, Connect Protect fast tracks an officer's ability to respond effectively and appropriately to those with special challenges and needs.

"COVID-19 presents unprecedented challenges for first-responders in how we service the community and its most vulnerable populations," said Chief Julia Cecchetto, President of the Nova Scotia Chiefs of Police Association. "Dementia wandering doesn't stop because we're in a pandemic. When every second counts, having immediate access to SHID through Connect Protect helps our officers respond faster with more informed action at every touch point."

Connect Protect services those with autism, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, communication disorders and cognitive impairments such as brain injuries. MedicAlert is the only registered Canadian charity linking individual health information directly to those on the frontline - ensuring at-risk communities receive immediate and focused attention in every emergency situation.

Supporting communities across the province, MedicAlert has partnered with police services in the following areas:

• Amherst
• Annapolis
• Bridgewater
• Cape Breton
• Halifax
• Kentville
• New Glasgow
• Stellarton
• Truro
• Westville

"For nearly 60 years, our mission has been driven by one simple premise – to save lives," said Catherine Horlock, MedicAlert Connect Protect Program Director. "Our partnership with Nova Scotia police services provides a trusted solution and additional layer of protection as well as peace of mind for individuals and their loved ones."

Connect Protect helps to assist the police to better understand some of its most at-risk populations, while adding a vital link to health information access that can save precious minutes – and quite possibly a life.

About MedicAlert

MedicAlert Foundation Canada is a registered Canadian charity. Founded in Nova Scotia in 1961, MedicAlert proudly embraces its mission to put every Canadian in a position to benefit from high-quality health information at time of need. Since our inception we've helped protect more than 1.5 million Canadians.

SOURCE MedicAlert

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