While it seems that there is a national day for everything, it’s important that we recognize one in particular this month.. MedicAlert IDs. Every year in August we observe MedicAlert Awareness Month, knowing how essential they are for medical professionals in case of emergencies with individuals that live alone or have very dangerous medical conditions. Moreso, it helps medical personnel recognize medical conditions, medications and allergies to help to avoid medical errors.
Let’s take a look back to see how MedicAlert Awareness Month got started. It all began in 1953 with a 14-year-old named Linda Collins. Linda had cut her finger and went to the hospital to have it taken care of. During a routine test, Linda went into anaphylactic shock, which was almost fatal. This event inspired Linda and her father, who was a doctor, to create a medical bracelet, with medical instructions on the back of it to alert medical personnel in the case of an emergency.
A few years later, in 1956, the MedicAlert Foundation was formed. It went on to create an impressive database of medical records for people who had the bracelets. It gave the ability to alert the doctors of your medical needs, even if you were unable to speak. This truly changed the game when it came to medicine and gave relief not only to those with conditions, but to those who are medical professionals.
In 1978, President Jimmy Carter honored the MedicAlert Foundation by declaring the first National MedicAlert Week. On the 40th anniversary of the foundation, twenty five governors proclaimed August as National MedicAlert Awareness Month, and it is a tradition that continues on. It’s hard to believe that a cut to the finger inspired something that we continue to use to this day in modern medicine, but it’s great to know that so many lives were saved because of that cut.