MedicAlert Foundation Appoints Distinguished Health Care Administrator Calvin Bland to Board of Directors

TURLOCK, Calif., Aug. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The MedicAlert Foundation, a non-profit organization providing 24-hour emergency medical information and identification service, has announced the appointment of Mr. Calvin Bland to its Board of Directors.

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Mr. Bland currently serves the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (the largest philanthropic organization dedicated to American healthcare) as Director of its New Jersey Health Initiatives (NJIH) program, located within Rutgers University's Institute for Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research.  A former senior member of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Mr. Bland retired as Chief of Staff and Special Advisor to the foundation's President in December 2008.  In addition, Mr. Bland brings 22 years of experience with St. Christopher's Hospital for Children (Philadelphia, PA) where he served as President and CEO.  

"The Board of Directors and I are excited to announce the appointment of our newest member," said Mary Dean, MedicAlert Foundation Board Chair. "Calvin's expertise in health care initiatives and grant making will prove him to be an invaluable resource for our Board."

A highly regarded medical professional, Mr. Bland has received a number of distinguished honors throughout his career including "Health Care Administrator of the Year" from the National Association of Health Services Executives (Philadelphia). His most recent honor was the establishment of the "Calvin Bland Endowed Chair in Hematology and Sickle Cell Disease" at Drexel University's College of Medicine.  

"I am excited to affiliate myself with such an important Foundation as MedicAlert," said Mr. Bland.  "This appointment will afford me the opportunity to continue with the mission of improving the quality of healthcare, not only within the United States, but worldwide.  I look forward to furthering the reach of MedicAlert's life-saving service to those patients in need, and to the medical community at large."

Mr. Bland holds a bachelor's degree from The Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania and a master's degree from Columbia University's School of Public Health.

About MedicAlert Foundation

MedicAlert Foundation pioneered the first emergency medical information and identification service in 1956 to provide people with a simple but effective method for communicating their medical conditions. Since the organization's founding, the Foundation has provided services and products that help to protect and save lives for its 4 million members worldwide. For more than 50 years, the nonprofit has relayed vital medical information on behalf of its members to emergency responders so they receive faster and safer treatment. MedicAlert IDs alert emergency personnel to a member's primary health conditions. In addition to its 24-hour emergency response service, MedicAlert Foundation also provides family and caregiver notification so that members can be reunited with their families. Visit www.medicalert.org for more information.

SOURCE MedicAlert Foundation