SCOTT MARSHALLGULFPORT | Chips help identify bodiesMon Sep 26, 2005 17:4264.140.158.92
Posted on Sat, Sep. 24, 2005
GULFPORT | Chips help identify bodies
Implants hold information
By SCOTT MARSHALL and ROBIN FITZGERALD
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/12732057.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
GULFPORT - Forensic experts have implanted computer chips in the bodies of Hurricane Katrina victims to help identify the hundreds left dead in South Mississippi and Louisiana.
The process, known as radio frequency identification technology, has been used to help locate pets and livestock for 15 years. Katrina marks the first time that the chips have been used in a human disaster recovery effort, said Scott Silverman. He is CEO of the Delray Beach, Fla.-based Applied Digital, the parent company of VeriChip.
The Food and Drug Administration approved the use of computer chips in humans in October 2004, creating a universal way to give emergency medical personnel quick access to critical information when a person is unable to provide it themselves, said Silverman.
The chips replace the time consuming process of manual or computer records checks for people with cardiac problems, diabetes, implanted medical devices, Alzheimer's and other chronic health problems, Silverman said.
More than 500 of the chips, roughly the size of a grain of rice, were donated to South Mississippi and Louisiana, along with more than a dozen scanners, devices used to read the information stored in the chips.
"We're actually staging in Texas with 300 additional chips and two scanners to be ready should there be another mass casualty count," Silverman said as Hurricane Rita approached.
The chips in South Mississippi are being used by the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team, or DMORT, a federal mortuary service set up in Harrison County to help identify the region's hurricane victims.
When a body is taken to DMORT, the victim's personal items are logged in, the body is cleaned and photographed and forensic investigators take dental photos and X-rays. A DNA sample is collected before the remains are thoroughly examined.
The chips are implanted in the upper right arm in a process much like giving an injection.
Harrison County Coroner Gary Hargrove has been assisted in the process by forensic teams from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and groups from Alabama. Coroners and deputy coroners from around the state will help finish the work.
Each chip is programmed with information specific to a body, such as what the person was wearing, where they were found and any distinguishable physical description. The information is entered in a database so that families seeking a missing loved one can ask experts to compare their information with characteristics assembled by investigators.
A bar code much like those used to price retail items is attached to the body and its storage bag. The bar code can be scanned to quickly identify the remains.
The technology is a welcome resource, said Lafayette County Coroner Chip Weaver, who, under Hargrove, leads the fatality recovery and the Mississippi Coroner/Medical Examiner Association.
Applied Digital donated 360 chips in Harrison County and 200 to Lafayette County, along with seven scanners that are used to access the information on the chips via bar codes, Silverman said. Hargrove heads the efforts for the six southern counties.
Silverman's company sent a 40-foot mobile clinic with four staff members at the request of the Mississippi Department of Health. The clinic provides food, water and medical supplies such as tetanus shots and other vaccinations. The clinic staffers have treated about 1,800 people, including 500 people within the first few days.
Applied Digital also donated chips and scanners to another DMORT facility in St. Gabriel, La.
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Applied Digital Assists in Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief and ...
Business Wire (press release), CA - Sep 20, 2005
20, 2005--Applied Digital (NASDAQ:ADSX), a leading provider of identification and security technology, announced today that it has provided more than 360 ...
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September 20, 2005 09:00 AM US Eastern Timezone
Applied Digital Assists in Hurricane Katrina Disaster Relief and Emergency Management Efforts; VeriChip(TM) Technology Being Used by State of Mississippi
DELRAY BEACH, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 20, 2005--Applied Digital (NASDAQ:ADSX), a leading provider of identification and security technology, announced today that it has provided more than 360 VeriChips(TM) and five scanners to Harrison County, Mississippi, to assist in Hurricane Katrina relief and recovery efforts. Additionally, 200 VeriChips and two scanners were sent to Lafayette County, Mississippi, to assist in any future disaster and recovery procedures.
At the request of the State of Mississippi Department of Health, the Company has lent its 40-foot mobile clinic to act as the Department of Health's Mobile Clinic. This vehicle is specifically retrofitted for medical procedures such as chip-injection. The vehicle is being staffed by Department of Health representatives and is now providing food, water and medical supplies, including tetanus and other vaccinations, to people in need of medical care. Over 1,000 individuals have received medical treatment at the mobile medical unit in the first five days of its operation.
The VeriChip has the capability to provide medical information in critical care situations such as Hurricane Katrina, where individuals requiring emergency care may not have access to their medical records. With the VeriChip's unique identification number, which can be scanned into a database, emergency medical personnel can gain immediate access to a patient's medical records.
To date, the Company has donated approximately 560 VeriChips to Harrison and Lafayette Counties in Mississippi. Initially, Harrison County and the U.S. Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) are utilizing VeriChip's identification technology to integrate identification of the unidentified deceased with a database provided by the County and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation so that loved ones may access the information to identify missing family members that may have perished in this disaster. The County Coroner in Harrison County, MS, and DMORT are now using this technology. The County Medical Examiner's office in Lafayette County, MS, intends to store the VeriChips and scanners for future pending disaster relief and body identification assistance. Applied Digital has offered to donate its technologies to Louisiana and the DMORT facility located in St. Gabriel, LA, as well.
"Applied Digital is committed to helping local residents affected by Hurricane Katrina in any way possible," said Scott R. Silverman, Applied Digital's Chairman and CEO. "The VeriChip was designed for emergency care situations and secure identification. Although its primary application is to access and retrieve medical records in an emergency and clinical environment, there are clear uses for our technology in disaster management. As future disaster management plans are re-organized after this disaster, we intend to offer VeriChip and all of our identification technologies to disaster management experts, DMORT and the federal government."
About Applied Digital -- "The Power of Identification Technology"
Applied Digital develops innovative identification and security products for consumer, commercial, and government sectors worldwide. The Company's unique and often proprietary products provide identification and security systems for people, animals, the food supply, government/military arena, and commercial assets. Included in this diversified product line are RFID applications, end-to-end food safety systems, GPS/Satellite communications, and telecomm and security infrastructure, positioning Applied Digital as the leader in identification technology. Applied Digital is the owner of a majority position in Digital Angel Corporation (AMEX: DOC).
Statements about the Company's future expectations, including future revenues and earnings, and all other statements in this press release other than historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time, and the Company's actual results could differ materially from expected results. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances.
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