According to Sheriff Brian Hieatt, the program is designed to register the special needs of eligible disabled or frail and elderly citizens in the Tazewell County E-911 system.
Hieatt said the goal of the program is to help citizens in Tazewell County during emergencies. The program is being launched in cooperation with the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office 911 Center and the RSVP program through Clinch Valley Community in Action.
Retired Senior Volunteer Program Executive Director Susan White said the program is a labor of love. “It is something that is very close to my heart because I’m the team captain for the American Red Cross in Tazewell County,” White said. “I work with people who are in disasters, whether it is a home fire or a flood. I see how unprepared folks are, and I’m especially concerned, as everyone on our council is, about those that are at risk in the community.”
White said the program is not just for senior citizens. “It can be any disabled person or a child that may be bed bound or cannot walk by themselves,” White said.
According to White, many different organizations were involved in this project. “First responders, emergency management, senior service organizations, mental health care providers, children services and more were at the table,” White said. “Everyone had the same concern: how do we effectively help the at risk community prepare for a disaster. After a lengthy round table discussion with various barriers and concerns mentioned, one statement brought the basic concerns into focus. Regina Sayers noted that it was difficult to provide disaster services to the at risk community when you did not know where they lived in the community.”
According to White, officials have been working on this program since March of 2012. “If they can give us a call, we’ll be happy to tell them about the process,” White said. “I’m am so proud of everyone involved. It has been a labor of love. It is very exciting. If it saves one life, it’s more than worth it.”
Anyone interested in registering for the SNID program can contact the RSVP program at Clinch Valley Community Action at 276-988-5583. The program is free to citizens and is voluntary.
There was also a separate program called the “My Call Program” launched by Tazewell officials on Tuesday. “It’s just as important, it’s for folks that are probably home bound,” White said.
“They may not have anyone that lives with them. They may have some at risk situations going on in the home. They may be prone to fall, slight dementia. Their family may be concerned about them, but unable to check on them. They can register in this system and have a phone call every day and all they have to do is push one button, and the sheriff’s office knows that their fine. And if they’re in distress they push another button. Someone’s going to come back and check on them. The nature of the program is to keep people safe in their home.”
— Contact Blake Stowers at bstowers@bdtonline.com
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