X-Message-Number: 3100 Date: Fri, 9 Sep 94 16:55:26 CDT From: Subject: CRYONICS Dear CryoNet, Although I don't have access to the text from this computer, one of the respondents to Steve Harris last night (Dave Pizer?) criticized Dr. Harris for storing "his" patients in a high seismic risk area in California. I don't understand this criticism because Dr. Harris is not in any way involved with storage of cryonics patients in California, or anywhere else for that matter to my knowledge. Dr. Harris is a director and Transport Team member of BioPreservation, Inc., a company which performs transport and perfusion services for cryonics patients on a contract basis. BioPreservation has not, does not, and has expressed no plans to store cryonics patients. The only cryonics organizations with plans to store patients in Southern California are the CryoCare Foundation and American Cryonics Society. Dr. Harris is not involved in the management of either organization. If Mr. Pizer wants to personally criticize people for storing patients in SoCal, these criticisms should be directed at me (a Patient Care Director of CryoCare) and perhaps Jim Yount of ACS, not Dr. Harris. CryoCare has a storage agreement with CryoSpan, Inc. in Southern California because CryoSpan has committed itself to a high level of care, seismic risks notwithstanding. CryoSpan has promised to either move out of California or install seismic engineer-certified vault protection within the next year. If these pledges are not fulfilled in a timely manner CryoCare will move its CryoSpan patients (currently none) elsewhere. Yes, the cryonics landscape has become complicated in the past year. I do believe, however, that those of us "in the trenches" have an obligation to understand it. A time may come, for example, when organizations will look to each other for support in emergencies. During such times it will be important to realize that CryoCare, ACS, BioPreservation, CI, and CryoSpan are distinct and independent entities. Lives may depend on it (even Alcor lives). --- Brian Wowk Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=3100