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Spring 2008
MEDEXOdyssey
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MEDEX Global Group acquires ASI GroupMEDEX Global Group is proud to announce the acquisition of our long-time security partner, ASI Group. For the past ten years, MEDEX clients have counted on this partnership to provide them with quality medical, security and travel assistance. Now clients will have access to even more benefits with one integrated solution that meets all of their international preparedness and assistance needs.
Both organizations bring tremendous strength to this new partnership. “MEDEX and ASI Group have similar, centralized operational models,” says Bruce Kirby, President and CEO of MEDEX. “We recognized that, to be a complete solution for our clients, we would need to tie the security portion of our services even closer into MEDEX.”
ASI Group, founded in 1989 and based in Houston, Texas, provides services that include business intelligence and investigations; personal and asset protection; global ground transportation; emergency evacuations; aviation security management; travel security management; and crisis management; as well as response, training and education services. ASI works with eight of the Top 10 Fortune 500 companies and shares the same diverse range of clients as MEDEX Global Group, including U.S. based and international multinational corporations, academic institutions, professional associations, insurance companies, NGOs, and humanitarian organizations. ASI Group will retain its name and location under the direction of President Charlie LeBlanc. MEDEX clients will continue to enjoy their current benefits, with additional in-house security benefits, such as traveler tracking, available to them. Watch www.medexassist.com for more news regarding this acquisition and how your organization will benefit. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact your Client Relations Manager at 410-453-6300. Back to Top »Introducing MEDEX Travel RegistryIt’s every traveler’s nightmare. You’re halfway around the world in an exotic locale and your passport and travel itinerary are lost or stolen. Armed with only a foreign language phrase book, you attempt to navigate the inevitable bureaucratic maze to replace your passport while desperately trying to locate the essential phone numbers you need to get your journey back With MEDEX’s new 360° Travel Registry (MEDEX 360°tr), you can erase that nightmare forever. Whether it is flight and trip information, travel and emergency contacts with addresses and phone numbers or even scanned copies of passports, MEDEX clients can have travel details at their fingertips within seconds. Along with pertinent itinerary information, MEDEX clients can also enter critical medical data such as vaccinations, prescriptions and medications, allergies, and important medical history which are crucial to MEDEX medical personnel if you become sick or injured while abroad.
Highly secure and designed with privacy in mind, the MEDEX Travel Registry is an indispensible tool for administrators and travelers alike. “We went to great lengths to guarantee the security of all the information on the registry,” says Timothy Kulp, Senior Systems Developer for MEDEX. “All data on the system is encrypted and password protected using a system that is approved by the National Security Agency to handle classified information.” Easy to use, the MEDEX Travel Registry assists administrators by keeping their traveling employees’ information centralized in one safe location. Administrators can use the tool to quickly determine the location of all of their travelers. “The system is easy to navigate and state of the art,” explains Josianne Pennington, Chief Marketing Officer of MEDEX. “The Registry was built to accommodate new technology, so we’re also able to expand its capabilities in the future.” MEDEX360°tr is scheduled for release in June. Contact your Client Relations Manager or log into your MEDEX Member Center for further information on how to make the MEDEX°tr an essential part of your travel planning. Back to Top »Travel and DepressionSavvy travelers know to anticipate common vacation ailments like diarrhea, the common cold and even malaria when traveling to developing countries. However, with mental health issues like depression, even the most seasoned trekkers are often ill-prepared. Inexperienced travelers are at times more vulnerable to mental stressors. “People who haven’t traveled abroad are sometimes susceptible to depression,” says Lori Parsons, Nurse Manager for MEDEX. “We see this in students traveling for the first time or with people doing missionary work.
A preexisting mental health condition can be aggravated by anxiety and tension brought on by new surroundings. “If you have already been diagnosed with depression, you need to be aware of the cultural differences you may encounter and their effects,” advises Parsons. “New surroundings can make you less stable and affect the efficiency of your medication. Elderly travelers, who are often already taking multiple medications, can be easily affected by dramatic shifts in their environment. “Sometimes Alzheimer’s or even mental health conditions that may have been previously undiagnosed can flair up,” explains Parsons. Oddly enough, even certain preventive medications like anti-malaria drugs can cause dramatic side effects, especially in those predisposed to or diagnosed with depression. “Lariam, which is prescribed prophylactically for malaria, can cause mental disturbances including hallucinations and psychosis,” says Parsons. “Anyone having a reaction like that should be switched to another drug immediately. Avoiding the stressors that come with international travel can be difficult, but Parsons advises that travelers can take some simple steps to decrease the odds of encountering mental instability.
MEDEX Prepares for Olympic GamesFor seventeen days in August, the world’s attention will be on Beijing, China. As athletes, trainers, and spectators prepare to travel to China for the Olympic Games, MEDEX is preparing to assist them. We recently published a guide that gives you an overview of the medical care in China, as well as any health risks and security situations you may face. This guide, What You Should Know Before Traveling Abroad: Health and Security Risks in China, is available through the MEDEX Member Center or by contacting your Client Relations Manager. We are currently developing a website to prepare you for traveling to the Olympic Games in Beijing. Before you leave on your trip to China this summer, visit www.medexassist.com for information such as common translations, including medical phrases and medication equivalents. We are also planning a joint webinar with our security subsidiary, ASI Group, to be available late in June. As a MEDEX client, you will be alerted when the website is ready. Back to Top »Photography ContestThis summer, MEDEX is sponsoring it’s first-ever travel photo contest. Were looking for pictures of international adventures, including mishaps and unexpected situations. A winner will be randomly selected to receive a commemorative MEDEX 30th anniversary globe. Email photos to editor@medexassist.com by July 31, 2008. All pictures submitted will become property of MEDEX and may be A Typical Day at MEDEX
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Diver Calls MEDEX for Help After Swimming Accident Causes Numbness in ArmsExpert scuba diver, Peter Friswell, was nearing the end of his week-long adventure vacation in Egypt. One day before returning home to England, Peter was floating in his hotel pool when another guest jumped in, accidentally landing with full force on Peter’s back and neck. Although his traveling companions acted quickly and helped him to his hotel room, Peter, 51 years old and in good health, was in extreme pain and knew the numbness in his arms was potentially serious. Knowing that he should seek medical attention, he immediately called MEDEX for assistance. MEDEX Case Manager, Christine Bland, in Baltimore, Maryland, took Peter’s initial call. As a trained member of the MEDEX Emergency Response Team, Christine instructed the hotel to call for an ambulance. Trying to get Peter to the hospital more rapidly, a well-meaning hotel employee suggested that they put Peter in a wheelchair and transport him in a waiting limousine. Christine managed the situation, maintained complete control, and emphasized to them the need to keep Peter remaining completely flat with his head immobile - a critical first aid rule for any suspected spinal cord injury - until medical technicians with appropriate equipment arrived. After Peter arrived at the hospital, a MEDEX Physician Advisor consulted with the hospital doctors to determine Peter’s condition and discuss available treatment options. Diagnostic testing concluded that Peter was not in any immediate danger and he was advised by doctors to return to England as planned and pursue follow-up treatment at home. Because of the timely support and expert management of Peter’s injury, a potential crisis was averted. MEDEX Emergency Response Team members like Christine Bland are trained in emergency triage and dedicated to providing clients the utmost service and personalized care during urgent circumstances. Back to Top »Women: Don't Forget Your BoxersA MEDEX survey revealed that 95% of women who travel abroad feel they face different security concerns than their male counterparts. In addition to general safety and security concerns, female travelers must cope with differing perceptions of gender around the world. MEDEX recommends solo women travelers always pack the following to help ensure their safety:
Ask MEDEXQ: One of my employees is taking his wife and three-year-old son with him on a business trip to Eastern Europe. Do you have any recommendations for keeping children healthy when traveling abroad? A: Traveling with children can be an exciting, yet trying, experience. It is important for travelers with children to do the following:
* Available at www.medexassist.com Do you have a question for Ask MEDEX? Email it to editor@medexassist.com, and we may feature it in an upcoming newsletter. Back to Top »Staff Profile Mauren LivakBorn and Raised in Porto Alegre, Brazil, MEDEX Medical Case Manager, Mauren Livak, brings her years of extensive medical training all the way to the MEDEX headquarters in Towson. Here, she gets to aid international travelers in need every day. Mauren’s considerable experience as a physician and researcher in transplantation immunology makes her a formidable addition to the MEDEX medical team. “I love the broad range of cases that I encounter which I don’t think I’d see working in any single hospital or clinic,” explains Mauren. An integral part of the MEDEX medical team, Mauren evaluates patients to see where they can receive the best and most appropriate treatment in areas with poor or inconsistent quality of health care. “For instance, I would recommend that a patient who is injured in a remote area of Africa be transferred to South Africa or Western Europe so they can receive the best medical care available,” says Mauren. While keeping busy raising her three children, ages 3, 6 and 18 with her husband Ferenc, Mauren likes to keep a balance of work and family. “It certainly helps that I really love my work at MEDEX it’s challenging, dynamic and fascinating.” Back to Top » |
MEDEX Global Group, Inc. Mailing Address: P.O. Box 19056 | Baltimore, MD 21284 | USA |
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