NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. – A Volusia County startup is being praised by law enforcement for its invention to keep children and vulnerable adults safe.
The city of New Smyrna Beach and its police department are going to honor Amanda Anderson and her team for their invention of the Sharewear band at its city council meeting on Tuesday. It’s a digital safety bracelet that holds the wearer’s medical and emergency information.
The company has donated dozens of the bracelets to law enforcement around Volusia and Flagler counties and teaching the first responders how to use them.
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Anderson, a former nurse, said she was working with QR codes as a side business, when the idea for the Sharewear band came.
“Last August, my father in law fell ill so my mother in law approached me and said hey you’re doing all this work with QR codes, can we do something like a medical bracelet where he can put a list of his comorbidities or anything he would want people to know,” she said. “It took about seven months in the background and then we launch to the public at the end of April.”
Anderson said she hopes it will give a voice and more security to many who may need help, like someone prone to medical episodes or non-verbal.
“Anybody from children with autism and nonspeaking autism, your elderly patients with various types of dementia in the event that they wander or are unable to communicate,” she said.
The officers are able to give the ones the company donated to residents when they respond to calls. Otherwise, the bands cost about $20 to $30 depending on the size needed.
Anderson said they do not have a subscription fee nor an app for your phone. Instead, a phone can simply be held up to the band and all of the contact and any medical information you feel first responders or others should know if they get lost or an emergency comes up.
“We get calls because they’ve walked away, and we need to go try to locate them which we’re happy to do. This gives us an additional tool by wearing this Sharewear bracelet for our officers to actually get the information that we need to find out how to get them the help they need,” said Chief Eric Feldman in New Smyrna Beach.
Anderson said they are adding tracking features now, too.
“We are launching our phase two in approximately three weeks that’ll add an optional upgrade – it’s a geo-location feature. So if you also want to know where they are or where the band has been scanned, it’ll tell you each location,” she said.
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