On Monday, March 18, Gov. Christie vetoed a bill that would establish a statewide Yellow Dot program administered through the state Motor Vehicle Commission.
Although supportive of the program’s intent, Christie said he does not think it should be administered through state funding. He recognized Mt. Laurel as one municipality that has successfully implemented the program without state funds.
The Yellow Dot Program is designed to provide emergency responders with contact information and medical history of the participant, EMS Chief Fran Pagurek said.
Participants of the program would place a yellow sticker on the rear window notifying emergency responders that there is medical information located in the glove box.
Mt. Laurel started the program two years ago after a resident presented the idea to Pagurek.
“I never heard of the program before,” Pagurek said.
After making a few phone calls to municipalities that participate in the program and gathering more information, Pagurek said it is similar to what the township practiced at the time — the File of Life program, which provides the EMS with medical information of residents.
Instead of medical information in the household, the information is in the glove box, he said.
The Mt. Laurel Emergency Medical Services, Inc., a non-profit organization that supports the township’s emergency services through donations and grants, funded the Yellow Dot program.
“We receive donations and contributions throughout the year that become a part of our budget,” said the organization’s president Deborah Rexon, adding the funds for the Yellow Dot program are “completely feasible” for a local municipality to fund without state aid.
The Yellow Dot program would be useful in motor vehicle accidents and is free to any resident who wants to participate.
Pagurek said if an elderly couple was involved in a car accident and the passenger has dementia while the driver was knocked unconscious, the medical emergency squad would be able to identify any medical conditions from the information in the glove box.
The Yellow Dot program helps emergency personnel identify medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s, dementia, diabetes, seizure patients and more.
“They are getting a chance to see that information if they are not able to give it to them at the time of the incident,” Rexon said.
According to Rexon, the Yellow Dot program is supposed to get people to prepare for a medical emergency. She said they should think about the possibility of not being able to tell an emergency responder about a medical condition.
“With the mobile society that we are and how much time we spend in our cars going from point A to point B, those individuals with medical conditions need to look at something that works for them,” she said.
Pagurek said the Yellow Dot program is not just for the elderly. It could be for a family with a child who is diabetic, or has any another condition.
Pagurek said the more people that know about the program the more it would make them think about emergency situations.
Although he agrees with Christie’s decision to veto the bill, he found one downside.
“It’s not popular in this area. I kind of get the governor’s point. I was hoping it would go statewide, then the program would be able to do what we are not able to do — market,” Pagurek said.
Rexon said EMS volunteer members are currently spreading the word about the program using the Mt. Laurel Fall Festival, EMS Week and more.
She reiterated Pagurek’s statement about Christie’s decision. Rexon agrees with the financial reasons, but the public needs to be more aware.
The government’s involvement might have helped, she said.
“There is only so much
you could do in the realm of time,” Rexon said. “These are programs that take a little bit of time.”
For more information and participate in the Yellow Dot program visit the Mt. Laurel Emergency Medical Services building at 201 Masonville Road, or call (856) 778–1274.
