MedicAlert^® Kidsmart^SM campaign launches in LA

24-hour service identifies children, reunites families, provides medical information in emergencies

TURLOCK, California (March 11, 2002) - Protecting active children, especially those with health conditions, is the focus of MedicAlert^® Kidsmart^SM, a new program from MedicAlert Foundation launching this week in Los Angeles.

MedicAlert, the leading emergency medical information service, will be cooperating with several Los Angeles area organizations, including the Autism Society of Los Angeles (ASLA), local asthma-related organizations and the PTA, to urge parents to protect children through membership in the nonprofit organization.

A young Los Angeles-area MedicAlert member, Ryan Olson, is the campaign's poster child. His mother Robyn Olson, who is also a member, credits the MedicAlert^® Service with protecting her son, who is autistic and non-verbal, and with reuniting her and Ryan on more than one occasion when the boy fled their El Segundo home. "With MedicAlert, we know we're going to be contacted, usually within minutes," said Olson. "That's a huge comfort to me."

As summer vacation looms, MedicAlert is touting its 24-hour emergency response center and famous body-worn emblem as effective means of identifying, and reuniting with family, children who wander or become lost. The emblem carries a unique identification number, not the Member's name, so a child's privacy is protected.

MedicAlert also emphasizes its proven ability to help protect and save the lives of children with special health care needs, such as diabetes, asthma or autism, in a medical emergency.

The effectiveness of the service was proven in Ryan Olson's case. The MedicAlert 24-hour Emergency Response Center first called Ryan's parents, and then revealed his identity only to police on the scene of his rescue. MedicAlert Foundation has a long-established relationship with the law enforcement community, which enhances its ability to reunite children with parents.

The MedicAlert^® Kidsmart^SM Program also includes collaborative efforts with Los Angeles school nurses to protect at-risk children with sponsored membership. Children with food allergies, asthma, diabetes and other conditions are all candidates for MedicAlert ® membership.

"We're gratified to have the support of these trusted organizations," said MedicAlert President and CEO Tanya Glazebrook. "They recognize the urgency of our mission and understand how crucial it is to give every child with the kind of protection only MedicAlert can provide."

Other MedicAlert^® Kidsmart^SM benefits include the new Sports Band Emblem, a variation on the venerable MedicAlert body-worn ID, intended to appeal to active children. The Sports Band is available in several bright colors and patterns and features a securely locking buckle to help ensure it stays on a child's wrist.

Parents wishing to protect their children with MedicAlert membership should visit the MedicAlert web site at www.medicalert.org or call toll-free 888-525-5176.

"Our new campaign may seem a bit of a departure for those who associate MedicAlert with older adults," said Glazebrook, "but it's actually consistent with our heritage. The very first MedicAlert member was the young daughter of our founders, and a large segment of our current membership is under 18. We're determined to protect to any child who might have a need, which today means just about everyone."

MedicAlert Foundation, one of the largest nonprofit membership organizations in the world, serves 2.4 million Members nationwide and another 1.3 million around the world. MedicAlert is the original, nonprofit emergency medical information service, founded by a physician more than 45 years ago.