VERO BEACH – Some cell phones were born to serve. For years, 95 high-end cell phones have helped nurses and other clinicians on their rounds caring for patients of the Visiting Nurse Association of the Treasure Coast. Now, replaced by state-of-the-art computerized handheld devices that also document patient care, these phones are moving on to another community service. The VNA has donated them to the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office where the Victim Assistance Unit will distribute them through its “Elders In Distress” program and “One Call Closer,” for domestic violence victims.
“Say an elderly person is outside in the garden and he falls down,” Victim Assistance Coordinator Shirley Rosemond said. “Now he, or she, has a way to dial 9-1-1.” Or, Rosemond noted, domestic abusers often steal their victim’s cell phone, run over it with a car, throw it in the river or pitch it into a grove, depriving the abused partner of a means of communications in an emergency. Some of the VNA phones will go to abuse victims.
“All of us coming together with what we do,” Rosemond said, “helps us move the community forward. It is a great collaboration.”
“We are delighted to help the Sheriff’s Office make life better for local residents by extending the useful lives of these phones,” said VNA Interim President and CEO Ron Barrera. “These are important community programs and we are grateful to be able to assist them.”