South Pittsburg mulls program to check up on resident shut-ins

SOUTH PITTSBURG, Tenn. — Some residents in South Pittsburg could be getting a friendly knock at the door from local police officers soon.

Police Chief Robert “Bobby” Simpson worked with a program in the past called Oasis in which law enforcement officers routinely checked up on shut-ins.

He said he wants to integrate those methods in South Pittsburg shortly.

“While patrolmen are out in their areas, they would have a list of individuals that they can check on,” Simpson said. “They can just knock on the door and say, ‘Hello. We’re here. We haven’t forgotten about you.'”

The visits could occur each week, twice a month, or on whatever timeframe is set up with family or the person in need.

“Some people get to a point where they’re afraid to come outside,” Simpson said. “They rely on family to bring them their groceries and any other needs that they have. They just become shut-ins. We don’t want to forget about those people.”

Mayor Jane Dawkins said the program is something with which a lot of people in town would want to become involved.

She asked residents to contribute possible names and information for those who could use a visit as a “starting point” over the next month while officials work out the details to get the “good neighbor program” off the ground.

“We’d check on each other, particularly elderly and so on,” Dawkins said. “Look around your neighborhoods and see if you can start a list.”

Simpson said the visits could help family members identify potential problems of which they might not otherwise be aware and allow officers to reach out and give those families some type of assistance.

“If [the officer] feels like there’s something that needs some attention, they would have an emergency contact person that they could call and tell them what they observed and what their concerns are,” Simpson said.

He said local churches could be incorporated into the program to help provide assistance, too.

“We just want [these residents] to feel included, safe, and not forgotten about,” Simpson said.

City leaders plan to discuss the program at the South Pittsburg City Commission’s next regular meeting on Oct. 13.

Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.