DOUGLAS COUNTY, Ore. – Douglas County residents now have the ability to create a free Emergency Health Profile to share medical information with Douglas County 9-1-1 dispatchers in the event of an emergency. The opt-in program is available by creating the emergency health profile at emergencyprofile.org. RapidSOS, the world’s first emergency response data platform, teamed up with The American Heart Association, The American Red Cross, and Direct Relief to launch this initiative in an effort to get first responders critical health information in an emergency. 9-1-1 telecommunicators are forced to rely on the limited information a phone call can provide, which can sometimes result in dispatching delays and first responders arriving on scene under-informed. In partnership with public safety, RapidSOS created an emergency response data platform that securely links life-saving data from over 350 million connected devices to over 4,800 Emergency Communication Centers nationwide – protecting more than 300 million people in the U.S. This data helps Douglas County 9-1-1 accelerate response times and provides first responders with incident-specific information prior to arriving on-scene. Douglas County 9-1-1 became RapidSOS Ready in 2023. The dispatchers use the RapidSOS Portal, a browser-based tool, to access accurate caller location and additional life-saving information when responding to 911 calls. “Being able to receive a caller’s opt-in health information will aid our dispatchers in an emergency which will result in proper pre-arrival instructions and informing emergency responders,” Lt. Brad O’Dell said. “We urge our community to create their free Emergency Health Profile and ensuring that they are able to share critical data with 9-1-1 to help save lives.” How can you become RapidSOS Ready? People can create their free Emergency Health Profile by visiting emergencyprofile.org and entering pertinent medical and profile information, such as: • Name, DOB, and address; • Pre-existing conditions; • Allergies; • Medical Notes (ex. Mental health concerns, developmental disabilities, etc.); • Emergency contacts. “Our 911 agencies and first responders do incredible work every day to keep our communities safe,” said RapidSOS Senior Director of Public Safety, Karin Marquez. “We hope that the Emergency Health Profile will provide Douglas County 9-1-1 telecommunicators and first responders with another tool to help them respond quickly and provide the appropriate care during a caller’s time of need.” To ensure data privacy, information is associated with an individual’s phone number and is only made available to first responders when a 911 call is placed from the associated phone number. To learn more and create a free Emergency Health Profile, visit www.emergencyprofile.org.
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