Butler County will soon be one of eleven counties in Alabama to offer the Yellow Dot Program, a new program that is designed to help accident victims and first responders by making crucial medical information readily available. The first opportunity to sign up will be Oct. 6, 2010 at the Greenville Senior Nutrition Center starting at 10 a.m.

The program will be provided free of charge to citizens thanks to funding from the Butler County Sheriff’s Department and District Attorney John Andrew office.

“I first found out about the Yellow Dot Program at the Sheriff’s Association meeting, and after talking with John Andrews, we both saw the need for such a program here.”

Here’s how it works:  participants get their picture taken and receive a Yellow Dot decal and a Yellow Dot Folder. The folder contains all pertinent medical information for the participant, and the decal is placed on the back of the vehicle to let first responders know that a Yellow Dot folder is in the glovebox.

Harden said senior citizens or dementia patients could benefit from the program.

“We have people from time to time with dementia that get out driving around and get turned around,” Harden said. “This gives us a way to know who they are and how to get in touch with their relatives or emergency contacts.”

Also, Harden said, the Yellow Dot folder can provide medical information that can help first responders during “the golden hour” after an accident, when prompt medical care can mean the difference of life or death.

“We have been out on the interstate and on some of these county roads and came upon an accident where the victim is unconscious and the paramedics don’t know anything about the victim,” Harden said. “This is a way we can help save these people’s lives.”
Harden held a press conference announcing the arrival of the program last week to a crowd of paramedics and first responders. On Oct. 6, Harden said they will be kicking the program off at the Senior Nutrition Center starting at 10 a.m. Citizens will have their first chance to sign-up for the Yellow Dot program at this meeting.

If you miss this opportunity, however, Harden said citizens would be able to come by the sheriff’s office to get their decal.

None of the personal information for the Yellow Dot program is kept on file, Harden said. Their will be assistance available for those who need help filling out the form, but all information is kept in the folder itself in the person’s vehicle.