PTA, MedicAlert Foundation Launch Partnership for Child Safety, Well-Being
Partnership Provides Discounts, Memberships for Children in Need, and Resources for PTA Efforts
Turlock, CA / Chicago, IL, January 16, 2008- In a move to improve the safety and well-being of children, MedicAlert, a leader in providing emergency response medical information services, signed on as a proud national member benefit provider of the Parent Teacher Association (PTA), the nation’s largest volunteer child advocacy association.
As a proud national member benefit provider, MedicAlert will offer special discounted memberships in the MedicAlert Kid Smart® program and additional discounts on all products to PTA members nationwide.
The Kid Smart program provides comprehensive services that can safeguard and identify children in an emergency. Emergency responders and school nurses receive vital medical information to protect children against allergic reactions 24/7.
Each child enrolled in the Kid Smart program is provided with a personalized medical ID bracelet and emergency wallet card that provides emergency responders with identification information, and details on any critical medical conditions or life-threatening allergies. All calls to the 24/7 hotline are answered by MedicAlert staff who identify responders and relay all pertinent health record information.
The Kid Smart Program also ensures that designated family members will be notified if a child requires emergency medical treatment in a parent’s absence. Through the program, parents and guardians have the reassurance that any time a lost child wearing a MedicAlert ID has been located or rescued, MedicAlert will contact them immediately.
“We are delighted by our new relationship with the PTA,” said Dr. Martin Kabat, president and chief executive officer of MedicAlert. “MedicAlert was originally founded to protect children in times of medical emergencies and so we believe that this program goes right to the heart of our mission and history. The PTA also has a history of outstanding efforts to advocate for children and therefore we are honored to have the opportunity to work in partnership with them.”
Giving Back to the Community
As part of the partnership, MedicAlert will provide up to 1,000 sponsored memberships each year to PTA units located in economically distressed neighborhoods and will give back a portion of the revenue from the program to PTA for health education activities in the nation’s schools.
The MedicAlert Chrissie Collins Children’s Fund will provide the funds to cover the costs of the sponsored memberships that will allow for the lives of more children to be protected around the country. MedicAlert and PTA will work jointly to identify the children in need who will receive the memberships.
“We’re extremely excited about having MedicAlert as a proud national member benefit provider. For decades PTA members have advocated for child safety. This relationship underscores the importance we see in the safety and wellness of all children across the country,” said Jan Harp Domene, PTA national president.
About MedicAlert
MedicAlert Foundation pioneered the first personal health record and medical identification service in 1956 as a way to provide people with a simple but effective method for communicating about their medical conditions. Since the organization’s founding, MedicAlert has provided services and products that protect and save lives of its 4 million members. For more than 50 years, the organization has relayed vital medical information on behalf of its members to emergency responders so they receive faster and safer treatment. MedicAlert emblems, worn as bracelets, pendants or other forms of jewelry, alert emergency personnel to a member’s primary health conditions. In addition to our 24-hour emergency response service, MedicAlert also provides family notification so that members can be reunited with their families. For more information visit www.medicalert.org
About PTA
PTA comprises more than 5 million parents and other concerned adults devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of parent involvement in schools. PTA flourishes in more than 25,000 school communities nationwide by harnessing the energy and talents of millions of volunteers to be: voices for all children; relevant resources for families and communities; and champions for the education and well-being of every child. PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Membership in PTA is open to anyone who is concerned about the education, health, and welfare of children and youth.
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