McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren Issues Statement About Human LoJack System

Maybe the following press release from McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren will give the Northwest Herald to publicize what I likened to a Dick Tracy wrist radio device to help police find missing Alzheimer and Autistic residents in my story on Saturday. It is complete with pictures and explains how Sun City Republican Precinct Committeeman Linda Moore started asking the questions this year that led to the program.

That’s the day Good Shepherd Hospital announced it has donated $15,000 for equipment and training for the Crystal Lake and Huntley Police Departments, plus the McHenry County Sheriff’s Department.

With the NW Herald being the dominant deliverer of local news in McHenry County, it certainly should run an article to alert those with potentially wondering children and older relatives, that this service will soon be available.

Twenty minutes is the average time it takes to find a lost relative using the system, which the head of Good Shepherd’s Emergency Department, Dr. Joe Giangrasso likens to a LoJack system for people.

Good Shepherd announced the new system at the grand opening of its new Intermediate Care facility across from the Pingree Road Metra Station.

People can not only walk in and get medical care without an appointment, similar to a nearby facility operated by Centegra, but they will be treated by a Board Certified Emergency Room doctor, a skill set not provided at other facilities.

If I ever cut my finger badly enough to need its being sewed up, now I won’t have to got to an emergency room a half an hour away.

Here is the sheriff’s press release:

Alzheimer’s and Autism Tracking System

Sheriff Keith Nygren has proudly announced that the Sheriff’s Office has teamed up with Crystal Lake Police Department, Huntley Police Department and, most importantly, Family Alliance, Inc. to provide a tracking system to those in McHenry County that have Alzheimer’s, Autism, or other special needs.

Radio wave receivers and wristband transmitters from CareTrak Inc. will be used to locate those who may go missing.

Wristband transmitters for this tracking system are available to those that meet the following four criteria.

1. Someone who has been diagnosed with special needs
2. Must be under 24 hour personal care
3. Has a history of wandering
4. Has difficulty in communicating

Each wristband transmitter is unique to the person wearing it.

If someone wearing this transmitter wanders, the caretaker will notify law enforcement immediately.

Law Enforcement will respond immediately, and trained personnel equipped with the tracking receivers will work to locate the wearer of the transmitter. With this technology the speed and efficiency of the police locating the lost will be improved.

All partners involved viewed this program as a new tool to help those in the community who need it most. Currently there are an estimated 5 million people in the United States who have Alzheimer’s and 1.5 million children with Autism.

Family Alliance has partnered with the three police departments to be the administrator of the program.

Monthly visits to those participating in the program are required to verify that the equipment is working properly and to change the battery.

Family Alliance will also keep a data base for participating law enforcement in McHenry County to provide them with information if a participant in the program would go missing.

Advocate Good Shepherd has also been essential to this program in donating the tracking/receiving equipment and training the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office, the Crystal Lake Police Department, and the Huntley Police Department. The training will occur September 30th and October 1st from CareTrak, Inc., the manufactures of this program.

Additional information on how to participate in this program is available through Family Alliance Inc. All partners plan to have this program fully operational by January 1, 2009.

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After Saturday’s announcement, Sheriff Keith Nygren showed Linda Moore a flyer for from Alzheimer’s disease sufferer Edward Sylvio Demers, who disappeared in October of 2003 has not been heard of since.


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