YORK COUNTY — A new York-Poquoson sheriff’s office program offers seniors a daily phone call to check on their well-being, with deputies following up if participants repeatedly fail to answer.
ConfirmOK, a free wellness check-in program, is scheduled to begin Nov. 1. Enrollment is already open, according to sheriff’s office’s public information officer Shelley Ward.
“It’s really starting November 1, but they told us we could start enrolling people now,” Ward said.
Participants can select a time to receive an automated call every day, then answer the brief prompts to confirm they are not in danger. The program works with a landline or cellphone and requires no special equipment.
If a participant does not answer after three calls, the company operating the service contacts dispatch.
“Dispatch would send a deputy out to basically do a welfare check,” she said.
Although the sheriff’s office serves York County and Poquoson, Ward said ConfirmOK is currently available only to York County residents. Participation is limited to senior citizens for now.
Family members and friends can enroll a loved one, Ward said, and participants can opt out whenever they want.
Enrollment information includ...