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Alcor News Bulletin
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Number 41: August 15, 2005
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Authors This Issue:
Jennifer Chapman [JC], Diane Cremeens [DC], Tanya Jones
[TJ], Steve Van Sickle [SVS], Joe Waynick [JW].
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In this issue:
* Facility Upgrade Project
* New Cryoprotectant Implementation
* Research and Development Proposals
* Readiness Drills
* Regional CryoFeasts
* Promotional DVD
* Media Update
* Personnel Update
* Fundraising Efforts
* Membership Statistics
* Employment Opportunities
* You Can Help!
* Next Board Meeting
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Facility Upgrade Project
Rapid progress continues to be made with the facility
expansion. The metal security sheeting for the common wall
between the Patient Care Bay and a neighboring rental unit
has been installed and dry-walled. The concrete footing for
the bulk fill tank has been poured and most of the air
conditioning system has been installed. A new door has been
cut between the workshop area and the preparation room
access space. In the new operating room and hallway, the
scrub sink area, storage room, and ADA-compliant restroom
have been framed. The shower fixture is in place and
plumbed.
One of the challenges with the project has been the heavy
rains we've experienced the past week or two. With the
installation of the air-conditioning system, there was
leakage around the unit where it penetrated the roof. This
required recalling the roofing and air conditioning
contractors to expedite the necessary roof repairs.
We also submitted several change-work orders to the
contractors when Hugh Hixon discovered a better location
for the roof hatch and spiral staircase for patient
transfers. Hugh also made sure the contractors understood
the armor specifications for the plating to be used to seal
off the roll-up door and exterior standard-access door.
We seem to be on schedule for 90 percent completion of the
project by the third week of August. [JW]
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New Cryoprotectant Implementation
All components for one whole-body M22 perfusion are in
house, solid components are weighed out, and we will have
120 liters of pre-mixed concentrate by the middle of this
week. [SVS]
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Research and Development Proposals
Two research and development proposals have been presented
to the R&D committee and are under their consideration. The
first is a proposal for continuing Intermediate Temperature
Storage Neuropod testing, in particular data-collection
equipment needed for long-term use. The second is a
proposal for studying annealing in cryoprotectant mixtures.
[SVS]
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Readiness Drills
Readiness drills for transport and cryopreservation teams
are in development. These drills will be developed, tested
and refined, until we are capable of evaluating the
readiness in all areas of technical operations.
For this first month's readiness drill, I selected a city
at the far edge of our new transport vehicle's deployment
range (San Antonio, Texas) as our transport team
"destination." All four Regional Coordinators were
contacted (southern and northern California, Florida,
Nevada) and told they needed to provide team members,
flight times, and a bulk count of their remote kits.
Performance items tracked included:
* Time to get the coordinator on the phone. All of the
Coordinators were immediately reachable with the first
phone call.
* Time to confirm team members. An average of 7.5 minutes
was required to confirm team member availability, with the
range being 3-13 minutes. A total of seven team members
were immediately deployable, not counting the Alcor staff.
* Time to complete the bulk count of the kit, and whether
all kits were available. All kits were available in the
three regions where a count was provided; the time to kit
count varied widely. In two cases (southern California and
Nevada), the coordinator was able to confirm the equipment
readiness in 5 and 22 minutes, respectively. In northern
California, the count took 196 minutes, because the
Coordinator was at work and knew this was a drill. The
Florida Coordinator did not provide a count.
* Time to arrange travel. Simulated flight information was
readily available, given our access to online schedules and
booking. Average time to flight "purchase" was 5.25 minutes
(range 2-9 minutes).
* Time to reach patient. This was perhaps the most
interesting element in the drill. Because the time chosen
for the drill was near the close of business, there were
few flights available for anyone heading to San Antonio.
The average arrival time required 16.9 hours, with the
range being 14.5-18.5 hours.
Airlines are and will continue to be a major factor in
patient care, both for applying stabilization procedures in
a timely fashion and for delivering patients to Alcor for
cryoprotection. This test highlights once more that we need
a broader network of team members to handle cases that come
up with little or no advance notice. [TJ]
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Regional CryoFeasts
Do you know who your fellow Alcor members are in your neck
of the woods? Come out and meet and greet nearby Alcor
members at one of our officially sponsored CryoFeast
gatherings! We've learned that referrals from existing
Alcor members account for about 38 percent of Alcor's
growth, so we plan to ask each member attending the event
to bring a non-member guest. Any member who brings a guest
who submits an application will be given a free quarter of
membership dues. Everyone attending will receive a
complimentary gift from Alcor. Joe Waynick and/or Tanya
Jones will attend each gathering to do presentations and
support the organization's outreach efforts. You'll have a
great time so be sure to watch for upcoming announcements
for dates, times, and locations -- and don't forget to
bring a friend!
Save the date:
Northern California: August 28th
Florida: September 17th
Southern California: September 25th
Jennifer Chapman,
Marketing Director
ALCOR FOUNDATION
(877)462-5267 or (480)905-1906 ext. 113
[JC]
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Promotional DVD
All member households were sent a copy of Alcor's new 30-
minute, high definition documentary. Additional
complimentary copies are available for your family and
friends. Have them send their requests for additional
copies of the documentary to: If you
want to send us your comments about the DVD you can send
them to the same email address. Alcor thanks Joe Waynick,
Tanya Jones, WalshCOMM, and all of the individuals who
agreed to be interviewed for the documentary. We think it
will be a wonderful promotional tool for Alcor and
cryonics. [JC]
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Media Update
In July, Alcor participated in the following media events:
* St. Petersburg Times: This article will feature Alcor
members in the Florida area and around the world.
* Teen America: This documentary about teens, including
teen members of Alcor, will air in the UK. Joe Waynick gave
the teens a guided tour of the facility.
* Miami Herald: This article is believed to be the initial
source of the recent media blitz about Suspended Animation.
* Chicago Tribune: This article will feature Alcor members
around the world. The reporter became interested in writing
the article because of the recent media blitz about the
opening of Suspended Animation's new facility. [JC]
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Personnel Update
It is with deep regret that we inform you that Mathew
Sullivan has resigned his position as Suspension Readiness
Coordinator at Alcor, effective September 1. Mathew has
been a loyal and dedicated employee for nine years and we
all wish him much success and happiness in his future
endeavors. He wishes the best for the members, employees,
and patients of the organization.
Alcor has hired Sergey Sheleg, MD, PhD to head our research
department. Dr. Sheleg will be working on a variety of
projects in support of our efforts to improve our field
capabilities as well as our cryoprotection procedures.
We also extend our congratulations to Bill Voice, Alcor's
Transport Coordinator, for passing his National Paramedic
Registry exams. Good job! [JW]
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Fundraising Efforts
To date we have received $43,000 in pledges toward our $1
million goal. That's an increase of $10,500 since last
month. More emphasis will be consistently placed on
fundraising in the coming months.
In your current issue of Cryonics magazine you'll find a
pledge form for making donations to the Endowment Fund. You
can help Alcor by pledging towards our goal. Fill out the
form and fax it to Alcor TODAY and help fund some of the
most important research on the planet. [JW]
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Membership Statistics
On July 31, 2005, Alcor had 763 members on its Emergency
Responsibility List. Eight memberships were approved during
this month, zero memberships were reinstated, two
memberships were cancelled and no members were
cryopreserved. We have an average net gain of 7.1 members
per month, which compares favorably to the average net gain
of 4.3 members per month last year.
At the end of this month, Alcor had 71 applicants for
membership. There was a net loss of seven applicants with
eight membership approvals, four incoming applicants, and
three people withdrawing from the application process.
During the month of July, 116 information packs were
distributed. Of those, 99 were mailed, and 17 were handed
to facility tour participants. Our average for 2005 has
grown to 105 per month, compared to 50 in 2004. We also had
748 subscribers to Alcor News, as of the July issue release
date. [DC]
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Employment Opportunities
Have you ever thought about joining the Alcor team? We have
immediate needs for licensed Paramedics, Emergency Medical
Technicians, Registered Nurses, Lab Technicians and more to
join our nationwide Transport Team. Participation would be
on a contractual basis.
You'll be given cryonics training that will enable you to
participate in our patient rescue and transport cases.
Licensed professionals do not have to be Alcor members to
work with us. We welcome your expertise and interest. If
you're interested, send your resume to:
[JW]
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You Can Help!
Alcor's research and development does not have the benefit
of large government grants, private foundations, or a huge
fundraising organization to raise the millions of dollars
necessary to develop much-needed technology and protocol
enhancements. What we do have are loyal, dedicated members
like you who have a personal interest in the success of
cryonics.
Alcor has a long and proud tradition of innovation and
technical excellence in the field of cryonics. This will
continue to be our overriding mission in the years ahead.
Yet, the organization is only as great as its people,
starting with its supporters. Membership dues and
cryopreservation cases cover just 60% of our annual budget.
The remainder must come from generous individuals within
our small community.
You can help achieve that success with your tax-deductible
contribution to the Alcor Life Extension Foundation. We
have many projects that would benefit from your generosity.
You can also make a credit card donation TODAY by calling
Alcor at (877)462-5267 ext. 101. Or you can mail your check
to: Alcor Life Extension Foundation, 7895 E. Acoma Drive,
Suite 110, Scottsdale, AZ 85260.
Your generous gift will help create a more secure Alcor, so
we can be there for your future, as well as the future of
your friends and family who also belong to our small
community of cryonicists. [JW]
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Next Board Meeting
The next Board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, September
10, 2005 at 11:00 AM (MST).
Board meetings are typically held on the first Saturday of
the month at the Alcor facility (7895 East Acoma Drive in
Scottsdale, AZ). Members and the public are encouraged to
attend.
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End of Alcor News bulletin #41 dated August 15, 2005.
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