VeriChip Corporation's RFID Technology Prevents Infant Abduction at North Carolina Hospital

VeriChip Corporation's RFID Technology Prevents Infant Abduction
at North Carolina Hospital 


DELRAY BEACH, Fla., July 18  /PRNewswire/ -- VeriChip Corporation, a subsidiary
of Applied Digital (NASDAQ:ADSX), a leading provider of security and
identification technology, announced today that its "Hugs" RFID infant
protection system has prevented the abduction of a baby at Presbyterian
Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina.

On July 15, the Hugs system went into alarm when the infant was removed from
the hospital's seventh-floor nursery.  Staff quickly responded to the "CODE
PINK" alert, and security officials thwarted the abduction, recovered the
infant unharmed and returned him to the safety of maternity ward staff.

The "Hugs" Infant Protection System, part of a recent acquisition by VeriChip,
contains a tiny radio transmitter designed to prevent infants from being
removed from a healthcare facility without authorization.  Every infant wears a
Hugs tag on the ankle or wrist and exit points throughout the hospital are
electronically monitored to detect unauthorized removal of an infant.

In the last 22 years, there have been 233 infant abductions in the United
States -- half of these abductions occurred from healthcare facilities.
VeriChip's RFID infant protection systems are designed to combat not only
infant abductions, but also accidental infant mismatchings.  According to the
Journal of Healthcare Protection Management, mismatching incidents occur an
estimated 20,000 times annually.  VeriChip's infant protection systems are
currently installed in approximately 900 U.S. hospitals.

About VeriChip

VeriChip is a subsidiary of Applied Digital and an innovative provider of RFID
technology for people including their assets and their environments. From the
world's first and only FDA-cleared, human-implantable RFID microchip to the
only patented active RFID tag with skin-sensing capabilities, VeriChip leads
the way in next-generation RFID technologies.  Today, over 3,000 installations
worldwide in healthcare, security, industrial, and government markets benefit
from both the protection and efficiencies provided by VeriChip systems.  For
more information on VeriChip, please visit http://www.verichipcorp.com/.

About Applied Digital

Applied Digital develops innovative security products for consumer, commercial,
and government sectors worldwide.  The Company's unique and often proprietary
products provide security for people, animals, the food supply,
government/military arena, and commercial assets.  Included in this diversified
product line are RFID applications, end-to-end food safety systems,
GPS/Satellite communications, and telecomm and security infrastructure,
positioning Applied Digital as the leader of Security Through Innovation. 
Applied Digital is the owner of a majority position in Digital Angel
Corporation (AMEX:DOC).  For more information on Applied Digital, please visit
http://www.adsx.com/.

Statements about the Company's future expectations, including future revenues
and earnings, and all other statements in this press release other than
historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section
27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934, and as that term is defined in the Private Litigation Reform Act of
1995.  Such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties and are
subject to change at any time, and the Company's actual results could differ
materially from expected results.  The Company undertakes no obligation to
update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequently occurring events or
circumstances. 

DATASOURCE: VeriChip Corporation



CONTACT:  John Procter, [phone], or , for

VeriChip Corporation



Web site:  http://www.verichipcorp.com/

http://www.adsx.com/ 

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