Database protects the vulnerable

By Doug Moore

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

09/19/2008

St. Louis — When storms left thousands without power for several days in the summer of 2006, city leaders began looking for the residents who were the most vulnerable — the elderly, the disabled, the chronically ill.

The National Guard, firefighters and neighborhood stabilization officers were going door to door. At the same time, many of the region's social service agencies were making house calls.

Some residents received several visits; others were missed entirely. City officials found they had plenty of resources but lacked a system to best coordinate relief efforts to reach those who needed help the most.

"It was a scattershot approach," said Bill Siedhoff, director of the city's Human Services Department. "There was something really missing from our efforts."

Today, the city is building a comprehensive database that emergency responders will be able to tap into when disaster strikes again. Called the Special Needs Registry, it is the first of its kind in the state and one of the few in the country that identifies those who would need help in an emergency and precisely what kind of assistance.

For example, the registry provides some crucial medical details: those on oxygen; those who take medicine that must be refrigerated; and those unable to leave the house without assistance.

If a particular part of town loses power, authorities can search the registry by ZIP code or ward to identify those who need help, as well as track the response process.

"The idea is to be able to get people access to emergency services when there is extreme heat, extreme cold or another emergency," Mayor Francis Slay said.

The registry offers mapping that identifies with a red dot each person in the emergency area who may need immediate help. If contact is made with the resident, the dot turns yellow. Once that person receives proper assistance, the light turns green.

The city will work with nursing homes, adult day-care centers and senior living facilities to keep track of the number of people and vacant beds in the event that evacuated residents need a place to stay.

After the 2006 storms, during which about 600,000 households and businesses lost power in the metro area, Slay asked Siedhoff to review the city's relief efforts. Siedhoff came back with the registry concept.

"One of the things we found is that there are a lot of people out there at risk, and we had to go to great lengths to try to identify them," Slay said. In 2006, there were six heat-related deaths in the city. (This year, there have been two.)

The Special Needs Registry currently lists about 3,200 residents. They come from the city's home delivery meal program administered by the St. Louis Area Agency on Aging, a division of Human Services, the department in charge of the new registry.

The registry is expected to grow to about 20,000 residents as the city works with social service agencies to add their clients. The fire department and AmerenUE are among those who also have lists of at-risk residents. City officials hope that all the lists eventually will be folded into one.

"This is a great way to combine efforts," said Kelly Butler with the St. Louis Office for Developmental Disability Resources, which serves about 650 people.

So far, city officials say the registry shows promise.

The city tested it last month during an excessive heat warning, a patch of hot weather in an otherwise mild summer.

Everyone on the registry received a phone call through an automated system and received a 30-second recorded message from Slay. In those calls, Slay encouraged residents to stay in a cool location and to drink plenty of fluids. For assistance, call 211, he said.

The three-digit number, a telephone service the United Way launched last year, links callers to charities and social service agencies that can provide immediate help.

But, as the city has already found, the system is effective only if the information is accurate. Of the 3,272 automated calls last month, 21 percent of the numbers were disconnected.

To make sure data are as accurate as possible, the city likely will use AmeriCorps workers or interns to update the registry, said David Sykora, executive director of the St. Louis Area Agency on Aging.

In Utah , a statewide registry has been up and running for about 18 months and is considered the model for other cities and states who are considering a similar system. Lorna Koci, who oversees Utah 's registry, said keeping data updated is crucial. On the anniversary of each entry, the information is verified.

Sykora said St. Louis plans to update its information every six months, either through e-mail, a postcard or a phone call.

A state grant of $50,000 helped St. Louis launch its program. Missouri health officials are considering a statewide registry, but the $700,000 price has kept it from moving forward. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services serves 60,000 people through its programs.

"And there are a lot more people out there who are seniors or have disabilities that we don't know about because they never touch the state for services," said Nancie McAnaugh, deputy department director of Health and Senior Services.

Emma and Jim Taylor automatically were put on the St. Louis registry because they receive meals provided by the Area Agency on Aging. Emma Taylor, 78, walks with a cane. Her husband, 79, had a stroke two years ago and needs assistance leaving the house. She said the registry is peace of mind. A disaster may not strike in their lifetime, "but you never can tell," she said.

The city got a break during the storm Sunday, with minimal flooding. If damage in the city had been as extensive as in some parts of St. Louis County , the registry was ready to go, Siedhoff said.

Slay says any time there is an extended stretch of heat or other severe weather, the registry will be put to use, and a phone message will go out.

"We have some terrible summers and don't have people checking up on those who need it," Slay said. "I think we're going to be able to save lives."

dmoore@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8125

St. Louis Special Need Registry

How to register

Online: stlcityspecialneeds.org

By phone: 314-612-5918

Registering is free and voluntary. The information on the registry will not be accessible to the public. Limited access will be given to emergency responders, the city's Human Services Department and public health agencies.