WHAT:	This Sunday will be a memorable day for Loomis resident Audrey Isbell. Not only does April 23 mark the anniversary of meeting her husband, Jeremiah, but also on this particular day, she'll get to see and talk with him even though the Marine is stationed thousands of miles away at an air base in Iraq. Thanks to the volunteer efforts of UC Davis Center for Health and Technology experts and the non-profit foundation Freedom Calls, Lance Corporal Isbell and his wife will be the first people in the Sacramento area to connect with each other through a live video conferencing system designed to help military personnel in Iraq stay in touch with their loved ones in the United States.

WHEN:	11:15 a.m. – 12: 30 p.m.

WHERE:	Meet in the Main Lobby of UC Davis Medical Center (2315 Stockton Blvd.). Session will take place in Room 1313 of the hospital.

BACKGROUND:	Sunday’s teleconference will link Al Asad Air Base in Iraq with the facilities of UC Davis’ Telemedicine Program, which normally are used to connect physicians and other specialists at UC Davis Medical Center with hospitals and doctors in rural areas throughout California.

CONTACTS FOR FAMILIES:	People with loved ones serving in Iraq should contact the Freedom Calls Foundation to discuss the possibility of scheduling a video conferencing session at UC Davis. The organization got its start two years ago and now has arrangements to use video facilities at several bases in Iraq. www.freedomcalls.org.

The UC Davis Center for Health and Technology uses telecommunications and information technologies to provide specialty care for patients at more than 80 sites throughout California. The center also encompasses a distance education program, telemedicine learning for health-care professionals, several emergency preparedness projects and a database for biomedical information and research services.

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