By: The Community Advocate Staff, March 1, 2021
(l to r) Dr. Moses Dixon and Larnese Cook, Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging, Inc.; Liz Tretiak, director, Northborough Senior Center; Worcester County Sheriff Lewis Evangelidis; and Kristin Black, Northborough health agent.
Worcester County Sheriff Lewis Evangelidis displaying a File of Life
Northborough – As part of his commitment to public service, Worcester County Sheriff Lewis Evangelidis advocates for seniors, routinely offering services and donations to help them feel safe. On Feb. 26, he visited the Northborough Senior Center to drop off 500 “Files of Life” magnetic pockets.
When first responders go on calls to seniors’ homes, they are trained to look for the File of Life on the person’s refrigerator. In that pocket are critical records detailing medical conditions and prescriptions that are important for the first responders to know as they assess the resident’s situation. In the files given out by Evangelidis there is now also a spot for the senior to note when they received their COVID-19 vaccine as well as the type.
“You do get a card when you get your vaccine, but this is just another important place to make sure it’s safely noted in your medical files,” Evangelidis said.
The initiative is a partnership with Central Massachusetts Agency on Aging, Inc., according to Kimberly Roy, the communications director for the sheriff’s office. As such, they will be donating 10,000 Files of Life to every major vaccine site throughout the county in the next few weeks.
The agency’s director, Dr. Moses Dixon and Larnese Cook, director of operations, also joined Evangelidis and Roy at the Northborough distribution.