Island Seniors: June is File of Life month

The Senior Citizens Affairs Council (SCAC) has designated June “File of Life” month.

The File of Life is a magnetized slipcase that contains an abbreviated medical history and a list of current medications — information that is vital to EMS personnel in the event of a 911 call or to emergency room staff should you be driven directly to the hospital. The program is sponsored by SCAC and has the approval of both the Shelter Island Police Department and the local Red Cross chapter.

File of Life cases are available, free of charge, at the Office of Senior Services, the medical offices of Dr. Scot Kolsin and Dr. Peter Kelt, the dental offices of Dr. Glenn Heinze and Dr. Frank Kestler, the Shelter Island Public Library and the Shelter Island Heights Pharmacy.

The File of Life is not just for seniors. In every home where a family member is at risk with a serious medical condition, the information in the file can save precious minutes during a 911 call.

The goal this June is to reach out to Island families who may not be aware of the life-saving potential of the File of Life and to ensure that wherever it is displayed, the medical information is correct.

The Senior Citizens Foundation of Shelter Island, Inc. has funded the 2012 re-supply of the File of Life materials.