MedicAlert to Celebrate 48 Years of Lifesaving Service
Company handles 3,000-4,000 emergency calls per year

TURLOCK , California ( March 2, 2004 ) – In celebration of 48 years of lifesaving service, MedicAlert will host an anniversary event on March 26. The festivities, from noon to 4 p.m. , include keynote speaker Curt Andre, mayor of Turlock . In addition, there will be walking tours of the MedicAlert facility, where visitors can view the 24-Hour Emergency Call Center and see how a medical ID is manufactured and processed.

Over the years, MedicAlert has helped to identify and save tens of thousands of lives, including that of Kathleen Vantine. On Christmas Day 2002, while on vacation at a remote resort in Brazil , Vantine went into insulin shock. She was unable to assist herself. Her son called the number on her MedicAlert bracelet and reached the 24-Hour Emergency Response Center.

The nurse who answered the call immediately took over, and within minutes her doctor was on the phone.

“I don’t know how things would have turned out if it wasn’t for MedicAlert,” said Vantine. “All I know is that I’m grateful for the efficiency that MedicAlert provided for me on a Christmas Day that I will never forget.”

Located in Turlock , MedicAlert was founded in 1956 by Marion Collins, MD, whose daughter Linda suffered a near-fatal reaction to a tetanus shot. Dr. Collins wanted something Linda could wear to alert others of her condition. Through the help of a San Francisco jeweler, he developed the original MedicAlert bracelet, which is now a world-recognized emblem.

Today, MedicAlert is one of the largest nonprofit membership organizations in the world with a mission to protect and save lives. Since 1956, MedicAlert has relayed member's key medical facts to emergency medical personnel so that they receive faster, safer treatment, and avoid harmful or fatal reactions.

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