The Lyon County Emergency Communications Center is encouraging citizens to look into two unique programs aimed at assisting special needs individuals in times of crisis.
LCECC Director Roxanne Van Gundy joined KVOE’s Morning Show Friday to discuss the county’s Special Needs Awareness Program also known as SNAP. The SNAP program allows parents or guardians of special needs individuals to provide information about their children or loved ones to dispatch that could be extremely useful in a time of emergency or crisis.
According to Van Gundy, that information includes physical descriptions, calming mechanisms and places of comfort or joy the individual may frequent. Van Gundy says this information can be critical to providing a positive outcome to a negative situation.
When parents sign up to take part in the SNAP program the information they provide is then entered and safeguarded within the LCECC’s computer-aided dispatch program and will only be accessed when it is needed.
On top of SNAP, the center is also involved with the Protecting PAUL program. Protecting PAUL stands for Protecting Persons with Alzheimer’s Unaware and Lost.
Van Gundy says the premise of Protecting PAUL is virtually the same as SNAP, however, she says it does not seem to gain the same amount of traction with local residents. Van Gundy believes this is due to an unwillingness from citizens to discuss the topic with their loved ones.
Van Gundy says as difficult as it may be it is a conversation that needs to happen.
If you would like more information or to sign up for either SNAP or Protecting PAUL you may do so by visiting LyonCounty911.org or by call the Lyon County Emergency Communications Center non-emergency line 620-343-4225.
