Athens-Clarke County launched a new program, the Yellow Dot program in efforts to help first responders treat life-threatened patients.  The program is already working in 30 states and The Department of Human Services and the Georgia Department of Public Health announced that this new program would be piloting in two Georgia counties, Athens-Clarke and Laurens.

The Yellow Dot program, which was created in 2002, aids first responders by allowing them to access a patients information, including their medical history within the first hour of treatment.  This “yellow dot” is a yellow, peach-shaped decal that is to be placed on the driver side rear-view window of a vehicle to catch the attention of responders.  A sheet is filled out with an individuals medical information and history. The decal will be used to notify the responders that this information is on-site, in the glove compartment. The decal can also be used for in-home emergency situations to notify emergency responders.
Older Driver Task Force Coordinator Elizabeth Head says this program is intact to “provide first responders with medical information that could help them save the lives of a patient in the field.”

The two counties were chosen due to the amount of aging adults and hospitalization in the areas. These test will determine whether this program should be implemented throughout the state. Emergency responders already say this will make their jobs a lot easier because the program is geared towards older citizen.

Bridgeway Hospice is one of the five locations providing yellow dot packets starting March 21. Beth Segars, who works at Bridgeway Hospice, said this program will help aging citizens feel more comfortable and secure away from the Bridgeway.
“Older adults when they go to the hospital forget to take all their medicines with them or forget everything to tell the doctors or ER or ambulence or something like that but with the yellow dot program all that information is in one place.”

Program initiatives are hoping the Yellow Dot program makes the first responders jobs a little less hectic.