By John McGonigle
Sunday News (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)
Copyright 2006 Lancaster Newspapers, Inc.
Lancaster, Pa. — Every year, Pennsylvania hunters suffer heart attacks - some fatal - while deer hunting.
Falls, auto accidents and other illnesses can send hunters for medical care far from home. Lack of a medical history, including the kinds and dosages of medication being taken, can slow emergency care when time is critical.
I carry a list of medicines and dosages in my wallet for emergency medical care. It is minimal, but better than nothing.
I recently saw a new, better method with easy-to-use accessories that provides invaluable information to medical personnel during a medical emergency.
Created by Critical Access Inc. and called Portable Health Profile, the package contains a CD, a waterproof USB flash drive and a mini-CD disk to hold your medical information.
This emergency medical system has incredible potential to save lives, or at least make it possible to get emergency medical care more quickly and accurately. It can cut down on emergency room or hospital errors or complications by providing your necessary medical information.
Portable Health Profile provides the necessary items, and easy-to-use directions, to create a full medical history, which is then loaded onto an easily carried mini-CD and/or USB flash drive. You need a computer with a CD burner.
The mini-CD and/or USB Flash Drive are given to, or found by, medical personnel who use their computer to obtain your important medical information. The flash drive can be worn as an old-style medical necklace or attached to a key chain. The mini-CD can be carried in a pocket, glove compartment or daypack.
The Portable Health Profile can carry medical information for multiple family members, and could be especially valuable when traveling. The program costs $49.95, and honestly seems quite worthwhile.