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File of Life Comes to New Hartford
The File of Life is a card which contains vital personal medical information and is kept on the outside of the resident's refrigerator in a bright red magnetic pocket, readily accessible to EMTs or other emergency personnel when they arrive on an emergency call. The medical card lists the patient's emergency contacts, health problems, medications taken, allergies, recent surgeries and more.
The benefits of the File of Life program are that emergency rescue teams instantly know the medical history of a patient, and hospital emergency staff have instant knowledge of the patient's medications, personal doctors, and emergency phone numbers of spouse or relatives.
The New Hartford Lions Club holds three major fundraisers per year; from the proceeds, many scholarships are made available to local students, and town organizations and local events are provided with grants. According to Newton Holbrook, who initiated the File of Life program, "Many persons in town support these fundraisers and many do not belong to a recipient organization. This is a program that everybody will benefit from." The File of Life is wholeheartedly supported by local public safety departments, the New Hartford Ambulance Association and local volunteer fire departments.
File of Life forms are provided at no cost and will be available to residents beginning in August at the New Hartford branch of Fleet Bank, the Beekley Memorial Library, the lobby of Town Hall and Bakerville Library. More information regarding the File of Life can be obtained by calling Newton Holbrook at 860-482-4629.
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