A Call, A Connection

For someone living alone, a scheduled phone call can offer reassurance: another person is checking in, and an unanswered call will prompt follow-up. That is the idea behind PSPD Connect, Palm Springs Police Department’s new free, voluntary wellness program, scheduled to begin Monday, Oct. 19.

The service is intended for Palm Springs residents who would benefit from regular contact, including older adults, homebound individuals and people with few relatives or friends nearby. Participation is not limited to seniors. Family members, neighbors, friends and caregivers can refer someone who might welcome the support, although taking part remains voluntary.

To begin enrollment or make a referral, call 760-323-8116 or email pspdconnect@palmspringsca.gov and ask about PSPD Connect. Residents can use either contact to discuss participation and learn the next steps.

Participants choose a contact schedule that works for them. Police personnel or trained community volunteers then make the wellness calls, providing conversation, checking on well-being and helping connect residents with community resources.

If someone does not answer, the department follows an established procedure to determine whether assistance is needed. Depending on the circumstances, that may mean contacting the participant’s designated emergency contact or arranging an officer’s welfare check. A missed call does not necessarily trigger an immediate police visit.

Participants are asked to notify the program when traveling, hospitalized or otherwise unavailable. Keeping the department informed helps distinguish an expected absence from a missed call that could signal trouble.

Published program information does not specify calling hours, the number of attempts before further action or a guaranteed response time. Residents should clarify those details when enrolling, along with how to change their schedule or report an absence.

Championed by Councilmember Grace Garner, Police Chief Kyle Stjerne and the Blue Zones Project, the initiative extends community support to residents who may have little regular contact.

For participants and relatives living elsewhere, that connection could provide added peace of mind. The program supplements existing support, however; it does not replace home health care, professional caregiving or emergency medical services. Anyone facing an immediate emergency should call 911.