No-Jewellery Rule Concern for MedicAlert
Toronto, ON – After an incident at a Durham region school put a child's life at risk, the Canadian MedicAlert Foundation is urging parents to check school and team policies around wearing MedicAlert identification during sports.
Thirteen-year-old Brock Nikolakakos was preparing to play basketball in a school gymnasium when the referee asked him to remove his jewellery. Brock was wearing a MedicAlert bracelet because he has diminished lung capacity and is susceptible to life-threatening breathing problems. The referee told him there were no exceptions. Uncertain what to do, he took the bracelet off and dropped it in one of his street shoes. After the game, he forgot to put the bracelet on again until after he got home.
Brock's mother, Heather Jones, was horrified by the incident. If her son had had a medical emergency during the game, she says first responders would not have known about his existing condition. The implications could have been very serious.
During an emergency, paramedics need to work quickly to identify the problem. The information that is engraved on the back of a MedicAlert bracelet helps a paramedic in quickly assessing the patient when seconds count. This is critical.
“I took for granted that the bracelet and the technology behind it create an accurate health record for my son,” she says. “But this information is of little value when people identify MedicAlert only as jewellery. Other parents should be aware that this kind of mistake can happen.”
She followed up with Brock's teacher and principal, and the school's superintendent. She eventually learned that there is a policy in place exempting MedicAlert from the no-jewellery rule and requiring that MedicAlert bracelets be securely taped in place.
Heather says that school and team first aid kits should include a roll of tape specifically for the purpose of taping down MedicAlert identification.
“This incident isn't the first of its kind that we've heard about,” says MedicAlert CEO Robert Ridge. “We recommend that parents with children in organized sports check with teachers and coaches about their policies and practices. Schools and sports associations should also take steps to ensure that everyone involved knows what to do about MedicAlert identification. It should go without saying that MedicAlert identification must be worn at all times.”
About the Canadian MedicAlert Foundation
The Canadian MedicAlert Foundation is the largest membership-based registered charity in Canada with more than one million members, and has been the provider of emergency medical information services in Canada for almost 50 years. The Foundation's services include electronic health records, a state-of-the-art secure database, a 24-hour emergency hotline and customized identification products that protect people with chronic medical conditions or special medical needs. More information about MedicAlert is available online at www.medicalert.ca.
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Media Contacts:
Catherine Horlock
Canadian MedicAlert Foundation
416-490-3509
E-mail: chorlock@medicalert.ca
