911 option gives responders heads-up on addresses where folks have chronic issues

Eligible conditions include Alzheimer's, dementia, cognitive disability, epilepsy, diabetes and hearing impaired among others (Courtesy photo)

CONCORD - The New Hampshire Department of Safety's Division of Emergency Services and Communications has announced the launch of its New Hampshire 911 Citizens' Assistance Registry for Emergency Services (New Hampshire 911 C.A.R.E.S.).

New Hampshire 911 C.A.R.E.S. is a program of the Division of Emergency Services and Communications that allows individuals to associate a phone number with an individual who has a chronic medical condition or with an address where hazardous materials are stored.

When NH 911 is called from a phone number registered in C.A.R.E.S., the NH 911 telecommunicator answering the call has immediate access to the information that has been submitted to the CARES database. If this program sounds familiar, that's because 911 C.A.R.E.S. is the new name of our revamped Supplemental ALI Medical Information database that has been used previously.

"Our New Hampshire 911 C.A.R.E.S. database is not just an invaluable tool for those with medical conditions, but also for our 911 telecommunicators," said Mark Doyle, Director of the New Hampshire Division of Emergency Services and Communications. "Registering with the C.A.R.E.S database means you're putting important medical information at our dispatchers' fingertips, allowing us to be aware of any relevant needs and utilize that data to provide the best patient care instructions possible while waiting for help to arrive."

A C.A.R.E.S. entry can provide additional contextual information for a telecommunicator as they handle a call. The conditions and materials identified in the registry were identified by NH 911's Public Safety Answering Point leadership team as most likely to provide immediate actionable information to the telecommunicator.

Not all medical conditions need to be reported to the NH 911 C.A.R.E.S database. If someone's medical condition is not listed in the registration list, it could be that the condition does not meet the criteria for NH 911 C.A.R.E.S. because of existing systems that are already in place. When an individual calls for a medical emergency, the telecommunications staff will complete an interrogation using a comprehensive medical protocol system. This system is designed to quickly determine the primary complaint and send the most appropriate response.

Examples of conditions that are eligible for C.A.R.E.S. entries include conditions that may affect the caller's state of mind, may affect the initial actions of the first responders arriving on scene, or may affect the caller's ability to communicate.

Eligible conditions include Alzheimer's, dementia, cognitive disability, epilepsy, diabetes, hearing impaired, the presence of a pacemaker or LVAD, medication allergies, door codes, and more. A C.A.R.E.S. entry may also include information to help first responders access a patient such as codes for doors, security gates or a note regarding the presence of a service animal.

For more information on 911 C.A.R.E.S., visit https://cares.desc.nh.gov. There you can view our 911 C.A.R.E.S. FAQ, as well as set up and access your 911 C.A.R.E.S. account. Members of the public who have further questions about setting up an account or general C.A.R.E.S. questions, may send an e-mail to NH911CARES@desc.nh.gov or call 603-271-6911 option 4.