In the event of an accident that renders a victim unresponsive, first responders often face a challenge: How do they track down the patient’s next of kin in order to notify them of their loved one’s condition and location?
In nine states, including Pennsylvania, a solution exists: Law enforcement officers have the ability to access a person’s emergency contact information just by swiping their state-issued photo ID or driver’s license. Unfortunately, in order to register emergency contact information in the first place, Pennsylvanians must access a form buried deep in the PennDOT website — a form few residents seem to know about.
That is something that Suzanne Sheaffer is seeking to change through a health policy analysis project she is working on as a doctoral nursing student at Duquesne University.
Sheaffer, a Harrisburg resident and a nurse for over 35 years, has been collaborating with the Dauphin County Coroner’s Office to study the issue of unclaimed body counts across Pennsylvania. Although she is still in the midst of gathering data, she said her preliminary findings show that the number of unclaimed bodies across the state has been increasing over the past five years, perhaps in part due to the opioid epidemic. Sheaffer believes this is an issue that affects everyone.
“When the deceased’s next of kin cannot be located, it hits the tax base, because every county has to pay to have the unclaimed body cremated and buried, and that comes back to us as taxpayers,” she said. “But more importantly, if somebody is unclaimed and they’re cremated and buried by the county, we’re failing to let their families have closure or their preference for how their loved one is to be finally cared for. It’s not just a money issue; it’s a bereavement issue.”
Having lost two children, one to terminal illness and another to a military accident in the U.S. Coast Guard, Sheaffer is particularly sensitive to the bereavement issue. As a nurse, she also understands the importance of being able to locate next of kin for anyone who is unresponsive following a medical emergency.
“Think about all the ways people can be unresponsive that would cause the whole emergency response system to kick in, like a car accident or a workplace accident. Think about your epileptics, your diabetics, Alzheimer’s patients, folks with terminal illnesses — all the people that could find themselves in a medical situation where they can’t speak for themselves,” she said. “Next of kin notification is just another very critical layer to provide the best quality care to them.”
Sheaffer hopes that her research might lead PennDOT to make the next of kin registration form more prominent, and may perhaps sway Pennsylvania lawmakers to pass legislation mandating the incorporation of voluntary emergency contact information fields into the driver’s license registration and renewal process, much like the organ donation option is currently included.
As she began her research, Sheaffer crossed paths with Christine Olson, the founder of the first driver’s license-based next of kin notification program in the country.
TIFF’s (To Inform Families First) Initiative was born after Olson’s daughter, Tiffiany, was killed in 2005 at the age of 22 in a tragic motorcycle accident. Although Tiffiany was killed on impact just 15 minutes away from Olson’s Florida home, it took 6.5 hours before law enforcement was able to track Christine down and tell her of her daughter’s fate. During those agonizing hours, Olson was frantically trying to find out about Tiffiany’s whereabouts and condition. It was an experience she does not want any other parent to have to endure.
Olson knew that one of the only things her daughter had with her when she died was her driver’s license, which she carried in her pocket.
“I thought, ‘What if there was a way to do something with a driver’s license? What if we could include emergency contact information somehow?” she said.
Olson, who has worked as a server at The Rod and Reel Pier on Anna Maria Island, Fla., for 20 years, wasn’t sure where to begin to put such a plan into motion; she didn’t even own a computer at the time. But she wrote up her idea on a yellow legal pad, and co-workers started a petition, which she eventually presented to her state representative.
“On October 2, 2006, I became literally the first person in the world to register my emergency contact information online,” she said. “Today, the state of Florida has a page on their website dedicated to TIFF, and you’ll hear them talk about it if you’re on hold with the DMV. … Currently, the state of Florida has well over 16 million registered.”
Olson eventually helped to kick off similar programs in eight other states, and, with the help of people like Sheaffer, her dream is to eventually expand TIFF’s Initiative to all 50 states.
“My mission and my passion is to make sure my story does not become your story, especially when we have an answer and a solution,” Olson said. “We want to get this across the nation and around the world as the go-to emergency contact program for everyone.”
Olson said that getting the word out is the biggest hurdle the program faces. To that end, in April, Sheaffer plans to visit some of the key players who helped to get TIFF’s Initiative off the ground in Florida, including members of the state legislature, the Florida Department of Transportation, and Olson herself.
“I’m going to use the knowledge and expertise of all of these people, and learn from them the best practices for taking this to the next level,” Sheaffer said. “I’m grounding everything in facts from a scientific nursing perspective so I can offer proof that change is needed in Pennsylvania.”
Until that change comes, the easiest way to register emergency contact information in Pennsylvania’s secure database is by visiting ToInformFamiliesFirst.org and clicking on the “Register Now” link.
