Township plans health and safety fair

Seniors will receive cellphones pre-programmed to dial 911.

By: Lea Kahn
   Aiming to provide senior citizens with an added measure of security, township officials plan to distribute 85 cellphones next week that are pre-programmed to dial 911.
   The free cellphones will be distributed at the Lawrence Senior Center between 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Saturday said Superintendent of Recreation Steven Groeger. The center is located on Darrah Lane, next to the Lawrence branch of the Mercer County Library System.
   The cellphones that will be given away are ones that people have donated to the Lawrence Township Police Department when they get a new cellphone, said police Capt. Joseph Prettyman. The donated cellphones have been pre-programmed to dial 911.
   "We have quite a few cellphones," Mr. Groeger said. "The police department gets them on a regular basis. The thinking was, ‘Maybe senior citizens don’t have cellphones. We have 85 cellphones. We could give them away.’ The seniors can take the cellphones when they go out in the car, or they can be used in an emergency if there is no telephone service."
   There is no service charge for the cellphones, but they can only be used to call 911, Mr. Groeger said. Senior citizens cannot use them to call friends or family, because they are not connected to any of the cellular service providers.
   A police officer will be on hand at the senior center when the cellphones are handed out, he said. The officer will explain how to use the cellphone, including how to charge the battery, how to turn on the cellphone, how to make the call and how to turn it off.
   When a caller dials 911 from a cellphone, the call will not be connected to the local police department, Mr. Groeger said. Instead, the call will be sent to New Jersey State Police dispatchers, who will direct the call to the proper police department.
   For example, if a Lawrence Township senior citizen makes a 911 cellphone call from Hamilton Township, the call will be sent to the state police dispatcher. It will be important for the caller to explain the nature of the emergency and where they are, Mr. Groeger said. Once the dispatcher knows the call is being made from Hamilton Township, that township’s police department will be contacted.
   In addition to handing out the cellphones at the Feb. 16 session, the Health Department will conduct free blood pressure screenings, Mr. Groeger said.
   Also, senior citizens will learn how to fill out the File for Life forms — a new program that is being offered by the township for senior citizens and younger folks, as well. The File for Life program lists the medications that members of the household are taking. The card is placed in a red, magnetized and stuck on the refrigerator.
   Township officials expect to distribute File for Life forms in the next few weeks. The forms have been ordered, and they are beginning to arrive at the municipal building.
   For more information about this program, call Mr. Groeger at 844-7065.