Medical Bracelet Offers Surprises

John Holland
The Modesto Bee
June 14, 2004

Brian Shockley, an educator for MedicAlert, said emergency workers tend to have at least a rough idea of what the organization does.

They know they can look at a Medic-Alert bracelet on a stricken person and see basic medical information engraved on the back. That notation can help prevent, for example, the use of a drug that causes an allergic reaction.

But Shockley has launched an effort to tell much more about MedicAlert -- how it provides medical details by phone or fax at any hour, how it notifies family members about an emergency, how it can help find dementia patients who wander from home.

"It's a lot more information than I thought it was," said Capt. Bill Becker, a Turlock firefighter and emergency medical technician who took Shockley's free one-hour class last week.

MedicAlert has grown to about 4 million members worldwide since its founding in 1956 by Turlock physician Marion Collins and his wife, Chrissie.

Shockley said the organization long has trained emergency workers on how the process works, but he is now seeking audiences.

The Turlock police and fire departments are among the first to sign up. Shockley said he hopes to get to many other people, including ambulance and hospital workers, in an area stretching to Tracy , Stockton , Sonora and Merced .

The effort will expand across the country, including classes during emergency worker conventions.

Capt. Scott Wejmar, a Turlock firefighter and emergency medical technician who attended last week's class, said diabetes is a good example of how MedicAlert helps him in his job.

He said people having diabetic emergencies can sometimes give off breath that smells like alcohol. If a MedicAlert bracelet mentions diabetes, he knows that it is not just a case of heavy drinking.

"It's handy to turn that (bracelet) over and see 'diabetic,'" Wejmar said.

Shockley said that information also could keep a police officer from mistakenly arresting the patient for public drunkenness.

The bracelets show a phone number that emergency workers can call for further information on file at MedicAlert headquarters on Colorado Avenue . It includes the types and dosages of medications the member takes, the results of past electrocardiograms and other tests, implanted devices such as pacemakers, and allergies to drugs, bugs and other things.

The bracelets also note whether a patient has signed a do-not-resuscitate order. A person dying of cancer, for example, might see little reason for cardiopulmonary resuscitation or other aggressive care.

The Turlock firefighters in last week's class said they were especially interested in this issue, as they want to be sure that such an order is valid before they withhold care. Shockley said emergency workers should call MedicAlert to verify the order if they see it noted on a bracelet.

MedicAlert's value for dementia patients was demonstrated early last month in Turlock , when officer John French of the California Highway Patrol saw an 83-year-old man wandering along a road. The man did not speak English, but the officer saw his MedicAlert bracelet, called the number on it, and reunited him and his daughter.

The firefighters said other people who cannot communicate -- because of unconsciousness, breathing trouble or other reasons -- can benefit from wearing the jewelry.

"For patients unable to speak for themselves, this speaks volumes," said Kain Packwood, a fire engineer and paramedic.