S. Fla. Alzheimer's Center To Microchip Patients
Pastor Dale Morgan
S. Fla. Alzheimer's Center To Microchip Patients*
*VeriChip Is Only Company Approved To Implant Chips In People
*Chips Provide Access To Patient's Medical History
(CBS4) WEST PALM BEACH A popular identification system for lost animals,
called a microchip implant, has proven to be quite popular with pet
owners, but now plans by a West Palm Beach Alzheimer’s care center to
place microchips into its patients are drawing a bit of controversy.
The Alzheimer’s Community Care Center is launching a trial program that
could help families that are caring for an elderly parent or loved one.
The center is implanting 200-patients with a tiny microchip, made by
VeriChip. The chip lies dormant without a battery or a power source.
It’s encoded with a 16-digit identification number that can be scanned
and entered into a computer to access a patient’s medical history.
"Having this type of ID and having this type of technology to get the
kind of assistance they need right away can be lifesaving. Our patients
are so fragile and vulnerable," said the CEO of Alzheimer's Community
Care Mary Barnes.
She emphasized, “No personal information is stored on the microchip.
Individuals who choose to participate in this project will have signed
informed consents by the patient or legal authorized representative.”
In addition, she said, no person will receive the VeriMed microchip
without the involvement of a physician. She noted that the program is
free and offered on a voluntary basis.
But not everyone agrees with the use of the microchip, which is the same
kind of chip used to identify pets when they are lost.
Dr. Katherine Albrecht, founder of the consumer privacy group, CASPIAN
(Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) has
already held a protest outside the Alzheimer’s Community Care center.
She also has a web site that lists objections to the microchip.
Albrecht said this technology is not necessary. For years, she said
hospital patients and those with certain allergies or medical conditions
have been wearing bracelets or other types of identification to point
out their maladies.
There are many who question the ethics of conducting medical research on
mentally impaired individuals because Alzheimer’s patients cannot
understand the risks associated with being micro chipped and therefore
cannot give fully informed consent.
Albrecht compares the large-scale chip implantation plans to an assembly
line that would render elderly patients scannable "like bar-coded
packages of meat," adding that the societal implications of such a move
would be chilling.
The VeriChip Corporation emphasizes that its chip, which was approved
for use in October 2004, should always be strictly voluntary. VeriChip
is the only company with U.S. federal approval to implant such chips in
people. The company has implanted more than 2,500 people worldwide.
According to the FDA, risks associated with the VeriChip include MRI
incompatibility, electrical hazard, and adverse tissue reaction, to name
just a few.
In February, a Cincinnati surveillance equipment company became the
first U.S. business to allow employees to get chip implants to enter
secure rooms. Some employees in the Mexico attorney general's office
have also been implanted with chips for this use.
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