The next Board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, March 6, 2010, at the Alcor facility (7895 East Acoma Drive in Scottsdale, AZ) at 11:00 AM (MT). Members and the public are encouraged to attend.
Monthly archives for February, 2010
Status of CEO Search
Out of the seven candidates set aside for interviews, two were no longer available and one changed her mind. The four remaining candidates were interviewed. Recently there has been an increase in new applications and resumes submitted to the committee. From these new applicants there are five additional candidates the committee would like to interview.
Team Training
Team Training
The Arizona Regional Response Team held an afternoon of training on January 23rd at Alcor Central. With 19 volunteers attending, not including Alcor staff, this session was the largest turnout that Alcor has had in a long time. It is encouraging to see the return of strong local enthusiasm not only for our local members, but also for members that relocate to Scottsdale/Phoenix when they are facing terminal health issues. This training event was followed by a CryoFeast that was hosted by Bonnie Magee, Alcor’s Finance Director. Thanks to Jack St. Claire for offering his home as the cryonics clubhouse in Scottsdale.
New Statistics (As of January 31, 2010)
Membership
Alcor had 915 members on its Emergency Responsibility List. Six (6) memberships were approved during this month, no memberships were reinstated, three (3) memberships were cancelled and one (1) member was cryopreserved. Overall, there was a net gain of two (2) members this month.
Applicants
Alcor had 62 applicants for membership. Eight (8) new applicants were added and six (6) applicants were converted to members. Seven (7) applicants were cancelled for the following reasons: one (1) applicant changed his mind; and six (6) did not wish to pay the extended application fee to remain in the queue. There was a net loss of five (5) applicants for this month.
Information Packets
Alcor received 156 information packet requests. Eight (8) were handed out during facility tours or from special request. The average total of 156 info packs sent per month in 2010 is compared to 188 in 2009.
February 22, 2010 Press Release
Alcor Life Extension Foundation Attempts To Fulfill Wishes of Colorado Springs Woman SCOTTSDALE, ARIZONA
On February 9, 2010, Mary Robbins was pronounced legally dead. Ms. Robbins was a long-term member of Alcor Life Extension Foundation. Alcor is a science-based state-of-the-art research facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. Alcor preserves bodies at ultra-cold temperatures to achieve biostasis at a temperature at which all cell deterioration stops.
Prior to death, Ms. Robbins made a valid, written donation of her body to Alcor pursuant to the Colorado Disposition of Last Remains Act and Uniform Anatomical Gift Act. Ms. Robbins wanted to be cryopreserved, and she made her long-standing intentions known for years. Additionally, she made financial arrangements to pay for cryopreservation using a $50,000 annuity with Alcor as the beneficiary.
Ms. Robbins’s family is now claiming that her long-standing request to be cryopreserved was changed shortly before she died. However, Alcor has yet to receive any written documentation changing Ms. Robbins’s wish to be cryopreserved.
Eric Bentley, the Colorado attorney for Alcor stated, “Alcor simply wants to fulfill the documented wishes of Ms. Robbins to be cryopreserved. Ms. Robbins was competent when she made arrangements to be cryopreserved, she expressed that intention in writing, and Alcor wants to carry out her wishes.”
The Cryonics Technology Progress Conference
Where: Terasem Central in Melbourne, Central East coast of Florida
When: April 9, 10, 11, 2010– Schedule to be available late February.
Cryonics technology is more advanced than even most signed up cryonicists realize. Most people in the scientific community do not realize what progress has been made and most cryonicists do not realize the protocols and technologies that have been developed in the service of making cryonics a true “evidence based technology.”
Details of cryonics protocols, procedures, and logistics from start to finish –Confirmed presenters include Alcor Life Extension Foundation Transport Coordinator – Aaron Drake; Cryonics Institute President – Ben Best; and Suspended Animation, Inc. General Manager – Catherine Baldwin.
Suspended Animation, Inc. protocols and technologies are now available for members of both CI and Alcor.
Technical Coordinator
The Alcor Life Extension Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit scientific and research organization, currently has an immediate opening for a Technical Coordinator at our Scottsdale, Arizona, facility. The Technical Coordinator is responsible for maintaining and operating equipment necessary to perform cryopreservation of humans in the field of cryonics. Cryonics is the experimental practice of using ultra-cold temperatures to preserve human life in a state that may be recoverable by future medicine. For four decades Alcor has developed and implemented innovative techniques in the field of cryonics. These techniques involve a combination of experimental interventions and conventional medical skills.
At Alcor, we believe that intelligence, memories, and personality are determined primarily by the structure and chemistry of the human brain. Our aim is to preserve the brain and the unique identity within it so that advanced future medical technology might be able to restore the individual to good health. For more information about cryonics and Alcor please see our website at http://www.alcor.org.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
The Technical Coordinator will be responsible for the development, operation, and maintenance of equipment and infrastructure required to perform human cryopreservation and related research at Alcor’s cryopreservation facility in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Specialized and custom-built equipment used by Alcor includes:
* Cardiopulmonary and cryoprotectant perfusion systems.
* Temperature-controlled vapor circulation systems.
* Automated data acquisition and process control systems.
* Cryogenic dewars and liquid nitrogen handling systems.
* Chemical handling and mixing equipment.
The Technical Coordinator will work with Alcor’s Research Fellow, Equipment Fabricator, and external Research and Development Committee to maintain and improve existing procedures and equipment, and to design, construct, test, and validate new equipment and procedures. The Technical Coordinator will report to Alcor’s Executive Director.
Readiness Coordinator
The Alcor Life Extension Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit scientific and research organization, currently has an immediate opening for a Readiness Coordinator at our Scottsdale, Arizona, facility. The Readiness Coordinator is responsible for assisting with the stabilization and transport phases of cryonics, and for maintaining logistical readiness for cryonics cases. Cryonics is the experimental practice of using ultra-cold temperatures to preserve human life in a state that may be recoverable by future medicine. For four decades Alcor has developed and implemented innovative techniques in the field of cryonics. These techniques involve a combination of experimental interventions and conventional medical skills.
At Alcor, we believe that intelligence, memories, and personality are determined primarily by the structure and chemistry of the human brain. Our aim is to preserve the brain and the unique identity within it so that advanced future medical technology might be able to restore the individual to good health. For more information about cryonics and Alcor please see our website at http://www.alcor.org.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
The Readiness Coordinator will work with Alcor’s Transport Coordinator in arranging and performing standbys, postmortem stabilization, and transport of Alcor patients to Alcor’s cryopreservation facility in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Readiness Coordinator will also be responsible for purchasing, inventorying, and otherwise maintaining supplies and equipment necessary for cryonics procedures at remote locations and at Alcor’s Scottsdale facility. Additionally the Readiness Coordinator will participate in training and outfitting of regional groups in the United States and other countries who assist with stabilization and transport of Alcor patients.
Specification of procedures and equipment are determined in consultation with Alcor’s technical staff, including Transport Coordinator, Technical Coordinator, Research Fellow, and external physicians, scientists, and consultants. Supplies and equipment include:
* Heart-lung resuscitators.
* Patient ice baths.
* Patient cooling systems.
* I.V. medications and administration supplies.
* Tubing packs and cardiopulmonary perfusion equipment.
* Sensors, data logging, and recording equipment.
* Personal protective equipment.
Case Summary: A-2469 (90th patient)
Templeton, CA — January 25th, 2010
Alcor received emergency notification that the mother of one our members had tragically died as a result of a house fire. Apparently, a space heater within the home had caused a small fire. While attempting to douse the fire, it spread out of control and she was unable to contain it. We believe she suffered a heart attack and collapsed as she exited the home. There was some burn trauma to the patient, however it was limited to the lower half of her body.
While her son is an Alcor member and her former husband has already been cryopreserved, she had not actively signed up for membership during her lifetime. Upon learning of the incident, the son wanted to provide his mother with one final gift, and immediately began to pursue signing her up through a third party membership. This requires Alcor Board approval and has to meet specific requirements before a vote is taken to grant the request. While this process takes some time to complete, it was handled on an emergency basis to prevent unnecessary delays. Another obstacle to overcome, due to the legal implications of her death, was the medical examiner is required to ensure that no foul play had been involved. The son persuaded the medical examiner to limit the scope of the autopsy to an external Commuted Tomography (CT) scan of the brain. This satisfied the legal requirements of the county while maintaining the structural integrity of the patient’s brain.
In anticipation of being granted authority to receive the patient, Alcor deployed Transport Coordinator Aaron Drake along with the equipment needed to prepare and transport her back to Alcor. Since that county’s medical examiner completes his work at the various funeral homes, rather than at one central location, the patient was maintained at a temperature of 35 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the process, thus limiting the amount of ischemia that occurs in comparison to a normothermic environment. As there were no major airports near the rural community that could handle large cargo, the decision was made to drive the individual back to Alcor. Although the legal process was expedited, it became clear that enough time had elapsed that a straight freeze was the only option remaining, due to accumulating blood coagulation and loss of vascular integrity. Once final approval was given, the patient was packaged in dry ice and transported to Scottsdale, AZ.
Member A-2469 is now our 90th patient. A full case report will be issued.
Upcoming Board Meeting
The next Board meeting is scheduled for Saturday, February 6, 2010, at the Alcor facility (7895 East Acoma Drive in Scottsdale, AZ) at 11:00 AM (MT). Members and the public are encouraged to attend.
