MedicAlert® Marks National Child Day with Launch of New Program to Leave ‘No Child Without’
Toronto, November 20, 2006 – In conjunction with National Child Day, the Canadian MedicAlert® Foundation today officially launched its national charitable program to protect elementary-aged children. At an event at Toronto’s Duke of Connaught public school, MedicAlert, along with participating students, educators, healthcare providers and government officials, demonstrated that everyone has a role to play when it comes to protecting children.
“As most parents know, children with medical conditions are at risk whenever they leave their home. Parents worry a great deal about how their child will communicate their medical condition in a crisis,” said Martin Kabat, President and CEO of MedicAlert. “What we’re announcing today is the expansion across Canada of the No Child Without program to provide every student in every school the full protection of MedicAlert. Our mission is to deliver this free to all these students and to give parents peace of mind.”
No Child Without focuses on children who increasingly suffer from allergies, such as peanut allergies, from childhood diabetes and from asthma. The program is designed to provide students at participating elementary schools with a MedicAlert bracelet or necklace custom-engraved with the child’s medical information, member ID and the MedicAlert 24-hour Emergency Hotline number. Parents interested in the program can obtain more information from www.medicalert.ca/nochildwithout.
“The emergency numbers on the back of the MedicAlert bracelets mean school officials and health care providers have quick access to a student’s condition should there be an emergency,” said Dr. Bruce Minnes, Associate Director of Paediatric Emergency Medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children. “Critical conditions such as anaphylaxis, asthma and various allergies need immediate attention by paramedics or doctors. Precious time is too often lost tracking down vital medical information.”
"It can be difficult to keep track of every student’s health needs,” says Shawn Spencer, Principal of Duke of Connaught Public School in the Toronto District School Board. “MedicAlert provides valuable information that helps us monitor any changes in the student body that we have not been made aware of, and allows us to react rapidly should an emergency situation arise.”
The program is currently in place in 60 schools across five provinces – Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Saskatchewan – and was developed in the spirit of Canadian medical care to help every child regardless of their individual circumstance or financial resources. More than 400 schools have indicated they want to join No Child Without. The eventual goal of MedicAlert is to expand the program to all 10,000 elementary schools in Canada within the next five years.
About the Canadian MedicAlert Foundation
Operating nationally, MedicAlert is a member-based registered charity with more than one million Canadian members. The Canadian MedicAlert Foundation has been the provider of emergency medical information services in Canada for more than 45 years. The Foundation’s services include electronic medical records, a state-of-the-art, secure database, a 24-hour emergency hotline and customized identification products that protect persons with chronic medical conditions or special medical needs. The foundation’s web site can be accessed at www.medicalert.ca.
For more information, please contact:
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Robert McEwan Veritas Communications 416-482-2248 X 231 mcewan@veritascanada.com |
Deborah Legrove, CFRE Canadian MedicAlert Foundation 416-696-0142 ext. 1153 dlegrove@medicalert.ca |
