MISHAWAKA — The St. Joseph Regional Medical Center launched Wednesday an initiative, which includes a smartphone application, that could aid first-responders in getting patients’ information during emergencies.

The application, called In Case of Emergency (ICE) Michiana, is free for the public and can be downloaded for Apple and Android devices. EMS personnel from St. Joseph, Elkhart and Marshall counties will be trained to use the application to find a patient’s information in the application.

A phone with the application installed and the individual’s information can provide information to EMS personnel on the patient’s medical history, allergies and other vital information. The EMS personnel can then send the information to a participating hospital, saving time, according to a press release from the St. Joseph Regional Medical Center. St. Joseph is the only participating hospital in the area.

During a press conference at the Mishawaka Fire Department’s Station 3, officials from the St. Joseph Regional Medical Center and the St. Joseph EMS committee encouraged individuals to download the application and provide their personal information.

“It’s always a challenge to find medical information, to be able to help give care to patients a lot quicker and now being able to push that information to the emergency rooms will definitely expedite the care that these patients need.”

The Goshen Fire Department, as well as the Elkhart and surrounding township fire departments will be trained to use the application to obtain information on their patients. Jim Ramer, assistant fire chief at the Goshen Fire Department, said the fire department will make contact with IU Health Goshen Hospital to use the application as well.

Downloading the application and adding personal information can take less than five minutes, Ramer said.

Upon installing and opening the application, the patient will be asked to add their name, date of birth, height and weight. The patient can also add two emergency contacts, and the application will pull information from the patient’s address book. The application also asks patients to add their conditions, medications and allergies.

As part of the initiative, individuals who do not have smartphones will be encouraged to have their personal or medical information available via a kit format. The kits will be distributed through 60 different locations across the region.

The kits include paperwork to fill out with known allergies, current medications, medical conditions and diseases, and advance directives. It also comes with a window sticker and a magnet for the refrigerator. Patients with the kit must save it in the refrigerator, where EMS personnel will be trained to look for is if they see the window sticker or the refrigerator magnet.

The idea of filling out personal information to have at the ready for first responders is not new, Ramer said. However, awareness of its usefulness could greatly help first responders if a patient is not conscious.

“It’s just one more tool in our toolbox for our job in helping someone,” he said.