It looks like the Vial of Life program is a go in Puslinch.
Reporting to council on July 18, councillor Susan Fielding commented on a recent Community Oriented Policing (COPS) meeting.
“It was decided that we are definitely going ahead with the Vial of Life (program).”
The aim of the Vial of Life program is to help firefighters and paramedics on the scene of an emergency by cutting down on the amount of time spent searching for basic medical and prescription information.
Available free of charge, the Vial of Life program is designed to make patient information easily accessible in one centralized location of the home — the refrigerator. Why? Refrigerators are common to every household and can be easily located in an emergency.
Having this information easily accessible will also save time for emergency room and hospital personnel and facilitate the care process.
Access to a patient’s health history and medical information is critical, and can potentially save precious time at the scene.
In many cases, firefighters are the first to arrive on the scene and once the paramedics arrive the vials can provide much needed information.
Fielding noted that 1,500 vials were donated from three different drug stores.
As a result, a COPS subcommittee was created.
“There’s also been a lot of support from the community nurse at Duff’s Presbyterian Church who is taking a lead role.”
Fielding said that was a good thing, since that individual is working with vulnerable people within the Puslinch community.
“We want to get this rolling in order to be able to introduce this at the Aberfoyle Fall Fair in September.”
Fielding believed the program will be a good thing for local residents.
She added that Wellington County’s emergency management coordinator Linda Dickson was at the COPS meeting as well, and was encouraged by the proposal.
Fielding said Dickson supported Puslinch acting as a test run for the initiative.
“The Puslinch COPS committee has been very innovative and involved in a number of firsts for the county,” Fielding said.
Councillor Wayne Stokley suggested that representatives from the committee might want to attend council to provide more insight into the program.
