Connect Protect
The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) is partnered with MedicAlert Foundation Canada.
Their MedicAlert Connect Protect service aims to enhance the safety of the most vulnerable individuals in our community.
MedicAlert has protected over 1 million Canadians for over 55 years and has partnered with police services across Canada to establish a national registry for individuals living with Alzheimer's and autism through the Connect Protect service.
It's a one-of-a-kind service that gives emergency responders and healthcare providers quick and secure, 24/7 access to a subscriber's electronic medical profile.
This partnership helps to enhance the safety of Ottawa residents. Those who sign up for MedicAlert will give police vital information about their medical condition so that we can help them as quickly and effectively as possible.
To sign up, please visit medicalert.ca/subscription-plans
Anyone who may be vulnerable can add their information to the MedicAlert database to help police assist them in an emergency.
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Benefits of Connect Protect |
| The program augments information being relayed to frontline officers when responding to calls for service. It enhances both the officer's and the subscriber's safety by alerting attending officers to any mitigating issues that may impact interactions with police, paramedics, or any other emergency responders. |
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Database access |
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The database is only accessed by a few trained administrators, who will relay relevant information as required to our frontline officers. It includes updated patient information, like a current photo, and for Alzheimer's, autism, or missing persons cases - past wandering history, along with emergency s. Because this database is maintained nationally, police have instant information about vulnerable-sector persons visiting other cities outside their home in Canada. The MedicAlert Foundation Canada was created in 1961 in response to a need to protect the most vulnerable individuals in our communities. Its medical identification bracelets are recognized worldwide as a signal to emergency responders of an existing medical condition. |
Common questions
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How can someone register with MedicAlert? |
| You can register yourself or a vulnerable family member here: medicalert.ca/subscription-plans. |
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How can this help the police in their work? |
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Access to the database will enable police to view a subscriber's medical profile. It will give an officer a recent photo, outline the person's medical conditions, and even include past wandering history to help locate missing persons more easily. An example of this would be information about a child living with autism who does not like to be approached head-on but responds better when he is approached from his left side. This type of information will be included in the MedicAlert subscriber's medical profile and relayed to the officer on the scene. As more police services partner with MedicAlert to bring the Connect Protect service to their communities, the database will expand nationally. This means we can review the medical profiles of vulnerable-sector persons visiting Ottawa from other cities. This will enhance not only resident safety, but officer safety as well. |
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How much does it cost? |
| The cost of the service for 1 year is $129.99 per year plus the registration fee. |
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Who has access to this database? |
| The OPS have a small number of administrators who can access the MedicAlert portal and relay that information to frontline officers. Training is provided to these administrators. The OPS will not share this information with any other agency in the city. It will be accessed only for emergency response. |