FYI: Kingston DataTraveler DTLocker+ is a USB key with 100% hardware-based AES-256 encryption and enforced password protection. If stolen, it will erase and reformat the contents after 10 failed password attempts.

The disadvantage is that you have to be coherent to tell someone how to access the data. A trade-off in emergency situations, but perhaps one you might consider. My company uses these and the more expensive, enterprise-focused SanDisk hardware-encrypted USB sticks and they work flawlessly.

Mark M, if you already have your emergency medical information on your person, I am just curious why you would also carry the USB with your medical information on it? Why risk it (from a confidentiality POV). Also if the emergency medical info is on your person, the need to be conscious would be less critical as the excess medical info would not necessarily need to be accessed right away, thus the USB info could be encrypted IMO. Am I missing anything else? Always learning, always taking notes .

We're a little off-topic here from the original post. But i'll add some remarks because the info could be useful to people who travel ...
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Mark M said: "The agent stressed the point to always carry copies of your passport, and to secure your original as best you can. If anyone asks for your passport -- from hotels to law enforcement -- give them the copy and explain you don't have your original on you. This will usually be accepted and you will go on your way. Conversely, if you give up your original passport it might be confiscated and held ransom (although this, he said, was less likely in Ecuador than other places).Finally, he said if your original passport gets lost, stolen, held ransom, or whatever, if you have a copy the State Dept. will usually be able to verify your identity (including a comparison of your digitally-stored photo) and issue a temporary replacement on the same day, versus several days if you don't have a copy."

MY COMMENT:
Very good advice!
I take teams of people overseas - sometimes to "problem areas" of the world. I routinely require people to have a photocopy of their passport, and airline tickets. They also need to carry some backup passport photo's, and there are a number of procedures in case people have delays while reaching their destination by air.

All this stuff paid off in a big way this last summer when of the ladies on my team lost her passport in the UK (I'm not sure if it was an accident or stolen). The US Consulate in London was able to produce a duplicate passport for her very quickly - because she had the photocopy of the original document PLUS the spare passport photo's. Naturally, it is very distressing to people to suddenly discover that their travel documents are completely missing when they are about to board a plane. But having the backup copies helps tremendously!!

Passports are often required by banks and money exchanges overseas during cash transactions. I doubt very seriously that these places would accept a copy of your passport. So you wind up having to carry the real thing - at least when doing formal activities (like checking into a hotel or exchanging money). You just need to be super-careful with your important documents, and double-check frequently that you've got them on your person.

Pete

Wow, that's good advice that I hadn't though of - I keep the photocopy when I travel, but its time to go get a fresh set of passport photos down at Kinkos/Fedex. Thanks Pete!

And by the way ... back to the medical info.

While I am intrigued by the possibility of carrying a USB key - I would not rely on that method at all. If you know that you have specific medical issues, get them stamped onto some sort of dog tag and wear it around your neck. The tag does not have to be big - get the writing done in a concise way, but still readable in English. It is always advisable to keep things as simple as possible for an emergency situation.

For example ...

"John Doe. Blood type O+. Allergic to penicillin. Suffers epileptic seizures."

Keep it that simple. It gets across the absolute basics - not your whole life story. Wear the dog tag around your neck - because any EMT who's got a shred of sense will check your neck first for a carotid pulse. Hopefully they will notice the tag at that time (or the hospital will later). You can always be selective about when your decide to wear the tag, and when you don't.

Pete

Here is a breakdown of my current situation. I drive to and from work which is less than two miles from home. As mentioned before, I dress according to that day's forecast and unless I am dressed for a formal occasion, I always wear shoes appropriate for walking. Therefore I can walk home from work in appropriate footwear if I need to. If there is a train derailment I may need to walk further as I have to cross the rail road to and from work. There are restaurants, a pharmacy and a convenience store near work.

When I'm shopping, I'm a few miles away from home or further. Once again I'm in my car.

When I'm with family or friends, I'm their car. Rarely are we in mine.

Sometimes I drive to the nearest bus or train station to use public transportation. That is when I am most venerable since all I have is what's on me or in my purse. I can't think of any remote location where I can store gear when using public transportation.

Jeanette Isabelle

The great part about being able to talk to other people is to improve your own knowledge and opinions. This forum and an open mind are wonderful resources.

On reflection, there's probably nothing beyond what I would print on an emergency medical card that would be needed in an urgent situation. So the use of an encrypted USB would be the right thing to do. I might go the extra step of telling the password to my emergency contacts so, if they were contacted, they could disclose the password under the right conditions.

Also, most people might not have anything to add to the USB stick that wouldn't be on their emergency card/ID. But what if you're a cancer patient or survivor? Or you have degenerative bone disease, lupus, HIV or cystic fibrosis? Wouldn't your treatment regimen and progress be useful to your treating physician after you are stabilized? Recent foreign travel to areas associated with particular diseases? Date of last tetanus booster? Past fractures, surgery or heart issues? I'm not a medical professional so I don't know what's relevant, but I know I have difficult remembering all the details of my medical history without referring to notes. And if I have to carry notes aren't they more susceptible to inappropriate disclosure than being on a USB key?

But, without getting into details, and for reasons not necessarily my own, I have a lot of interaction with hospitals, doctors, clinics and insurance companies. For longer-term care, the more medical history you can provide, the better your chances for success, both physically and financially.

In regards to confidentiality, in spite of HIPAA, there are still plenty of gaps in the system, mostly due to human error or indifference. But think of who you are trying to keep your medical history from and why?

• Certainly, you don't want your info posted on the Internet or in a newspaper, where any prospective employer or mate could access it without knowing all the details.
• Your insurance company already knows the info, and shares it with other insurance companies as part of their "coordination of benefits."
• Some conditions must be reported to local health departments and/or the CDC.
• Your prescription plan has much of your info.
• Many insurance companies off-shore or outsource processes to foreign locations where the rules and attitudes are different.
• In many case, particularly with larger employers, your employer IS the insurance company, and a firm like AETNA or United Healthcare or Medco are just "program administrators." In this case, your employer also knows your full medical history. And when mergers and divestitures occur, this information gets propagated, even if only incidentally via computer archives.
• In smaller companies its not too difficult to correlate the "aggregate, anonymized" activity data to specific employees.
• HIPAA notwithstanding, there are still plenty of confidentiality breaches due to human error, ignorance or indifference, or even intentional disregard of the law. I see it regularly, and I don't work in the health care field.

The reality is that, for most people, unless you are famous or the data was found locally in your community or at work, or the information shows you were treated for an STD from a 15 year-old prostitute in Bangkok or some other controversial condition, nobody would care and no harm would be done.

Since I'm not famous, not even within my own community, and I have no skeletons in my closet like underage hookers, (foreign or otherwise), I'm not as concerned about the confidentiality of my medical history as I am in my chances for survival.

Like you, I'm always listening with an open mind.

You are lucky to be so close to work, but in some ways this can also be a disadvantage. What if you live in a earthquake zone, or a location frequented by crippling snowstorms, tornadoes or hurricanes? Or if you live in a major city that's a potential target of terrorist or military attack? You might not be able or allowed to go home, or you might get there and find it's been destroyed.

I would make arrangements to leave a BOB at a relative's or friend's house further away, but still someplace you could get to reasonably, and then prepare my EDC with a goal of getting to that location.

Jeanette

If you are only 2 miles from home - then you are in great shape. You can walk home in about 30-40 minutes. Perhaps a little longer if you are tired or not feeling 100%.

Under these circumstances I can't see why you would need any elaborate equipment at work. And you don't have any of the concerns that I was hinting at in my longer post (earlier). It is simply far too easy - and logical - for you to just walk home at the earliest convenience during an emergency. You can store all your survival needs at home. All you really need at work is a small survival kit (which you've got), perhaps a small amount of water, a warm jacket, a small flashlight, and maybe a couple of bandages.

You are very fortunate compared to a lot of people. Out here in CA there are people who regularly commute 60-120 miles to work each day (that's one-way from work to home). You can see the kinds of odds they are up against in a real emergency if transportation methods get shut down.

cheers,
Pete

Now that we have established that some catastrophes occurring while I'm at work is not a problem for me, let's shift our focus on what would be a problem. In an earlier post I said: "Sometimes I drive to the nearest bus or train station to use public transportation. That is when I am most venerable since all I have is what's on me or in my purse. I can't think of any remote location where I can store gear when using public transportation."

When using public transportation, all I have is what is on me and in my purse. I have established that I dress according to that day's forecast. Jacket, check. I have established I always have a flashlight on me. Flashlight, check. I have established that I have an Ultralight .7 first aid kit, EMT sheers and a CPR mask in my purse. First aid kit, check. When using public transportation I have a .5L bottle of water in my purse and I carry a second .5L bottle of water. One liter of water, check.

I know I'm sounding like a broken vinyl media storage device but I do so in hopes to get across the preparations I have made and the issues I still face.

Jeanette Isabelle