MedicAlert Foundation, Emergency Nurses Association Team Up For Latex Allergy Awareness
Exponential growth of problem prompts action
TURLOCK , California ( February 7, 2001 ) -- MedicAlert Foundation, the nation's leading emergency medical information service, today announced the launch of a collaborative effort with the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA). Together, the health care organizations will promote awareness of latex allergy to providers of emergency medical services. Latex allergy is a problem that has grown exponentially among health care workers over the last decade.
MedicAlert and the ENA have developed a fact sheet highlighting the problem, which will be distributed to health care organizations and associations. It is currently available on the Internet at http://www.medicalert.org/ and will soon be posted at http://www.ena.com/ , and other health care websites. The goals of this collaboration are to educate and foster a latex-safe environment for health care workers and their patients.
As many as 17 percent of emergency medical technicians and paramedics, doctors, nurses, and other health care workers, are affected by latex, studies show. The problem has grown since the 1980s, when the government mandated universal precautions because of the AIDS epidemic. The sudden demand for latex gloves overwhelmed manufacturers, forcing them to change production methods, which increased the allergenicity of the gloves.
MedicAlert membership information demonstrates the impact upon patients. In 1980, MedicAlert had only 40 Members that cited latex allergy as their primary medical condition. By January 2001, the number had grown to 14,354. Members with latex allergy are especially concerned about the prospect of their MedicAlert® Emblems being ignored or overlooked by emergency responders, since exposure to latex gloves and the many other latex products used in health care settings can aggravate any allergic reaction already underway. It can also complicate treatment of other medical conditions.
MedicAlert Foundation and the ENA bring more than 75 combined years of experience to bear on this timely health issue, fulfilling leadership roles in both the public and professional arenas.
MedicAlert Foundation, one of the largest nonprofit membership organizations in the world, serves 2.7 million Members nationwide and another 1.3 million globally. As the nation's leading emergency medical information service, MedicAlert Foundation's mission for over 45 years has been to protect and save lives. For more information, call: 888-904-7630 or visit the MedicAlert website at http://www.medicalert.org/ .
The Emergency Nurses Association is the specialty nursing association serving the emergency nursing profession through research, publications, professional development, and injury prevention. The 25,000-member ENA was founded in 1970 by two registered nurses, Anita M. Dorr and Judith C. Kelleher. For more information call 800-900-9659 or visit the ENA website at http://www.ena.org/.
The Latex Allergy Collaborative (LAC) is a national group focused on education for a latex-safe environment for patients and health care workers. LAC is currently comprised of three nationally and internationally recognized health care organizations: MedicAlert Foundation, Emergency Nurses Association, and Shriners Hospitals for Children, a network of 22 pediatric specialty hospitals in North America providing free services to children with complex orthopedic, burn and spinal cord problems. It is the official philanthropy of the Shrine.