On Friday, March 22, 2019, Christine Olson, founder of TIFF’s Initiative (To Inform Families First), met with Cindy Tanner, Director of Trauma at Blake Hospital in Bradenton, FL. This meeting of the minds was an opportunity for Olson to spread the word about TIFF and for Tanner to recount 30 years’ worth of practical medical wisdom while reflecting on what in would mean in a trauma unit to have emergency contact information at their fingertips. In essence, the possibilities are endless.
TIFF’s Initiative is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of providing emergency contact information through citizens’ driver’s licenses for the purpose of notifying next of kin immediately in the event of an accident or crisis situation. Founded by Olson after losing her daughter in a fatal motorcycle accident but not finding out for hours, this grassroots movement is spreading the word about the need to have emergency contact information readily available to police and other first responders. The organization’s tagline, “You never know you need it until YOU need it,” rings true as a preventative measure that is free and potentially necessary.
After meeting with a major hospital’s trauma department head, Olson reflects, “[This meeting] is linking resources together for the greater good for all of us and that is the mission of hope TIFF’s Initiative is creating: To do great things in our community, to help more and more people when minutes matter most and to be the solution for notifying families, not only in Florida, but across our nation.” To learn more about TIFF’s Initiative and to register your emergency contact information, visit https://www.toinformfamiliesfirst.org/