Rodny Direct Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 (edited) NEWS RELEASE December 17, 2015 Today the Panama Helpline based in Coronado and the Rodny Direct Chiriqui Helpline announce the foundation of the Panama National Helpline Network (PNHN) This new national network means that wherever you go in Panama, bi-lingual help is just a phone call away. The Network means that you are more secure than ever, with backup operators and shared information. We are working on sharing other services of great benefit to our members, including group medical insurance, ambulances, medical equipment, secure document storage and more. As additional Helplines are opened in Panama, the Network ensures that you will receive seamless protection wherever you live or travel. The Rodny Direct Chiriqui Helpline serves all of Chriqui from the Costa Rica border, including Volcan, David, Portrerillos, Boquete, Caldera and East to the border at Guabala. The Panama Helpline serves a the area from Chamé to Penonomé and inland to el Valle, including Coronado, San Carlos and Santa Clara. Contacts: Rodny Direct Chiriqui Helpline Rodny Moreno, President 6573-0141 rodny@rodnydirect.com www.rodnydirect.com Panama Helpline T. Rob Brown, President 6501-9876 trobbrown@mac.com http://www.panamahelpline.org Edited December 18, 2015 by Admin_01 converted email and websites into hotlinks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcelyn Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 The Rodny Direct program gets better and better . Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyS Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 The Panama Help Line is $120/year. Is this in addition to the $80/year for Rodny Direct? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Posted December 18, 2015 Share Posted December 18, 2015 I could use some clarification. When I saw JudyS's reply, I reread the original posting and no where was there a reference to $120.00 per year membership fee for PNHN. But then in clicking on the website link at the very bottom of that posting, I read further. There I did see that the annual membership fee is $120.00. But all of that reading lead to several questions: It appears to me that RodnyDirect is affiliating with another group to form the PNHN. Is that correct? Is RodnyDirect itself changing in any substantive manner (meaning other than becoming part of PNHN)? There is a statement that the westernmost area of coverage for the PNHN is the city of Penoneme. That is east of Santiago by a couple of cities, which tells me that anyone living in the Chiriqui Province would not be eligible for the PNHN. Is that correct? We are residents of Boquete and already are [happy] members of RodnyDirect. We wonder if we have identical helpline services provided to us by being a member of RodnyDirect. Is that correct? In other words, being a RodnyDirect member would actually be redundant coverage if we were to join the PNHN. Are these correct understandings? There is reference to AaC i(Alto al Crimen) on the listed website as somehow being part of the PNHN. Are RodnyDirect and AaC joining together or somehow cooperating and/or coordinating their activities and support coverage? Who are Joanne B. Scott and Betty Morin? Those are new names to me. I ask because membership funds for PNHN are to be paid to an account in the Scott name, but somehow the Morin name is associated with a MBE account that is to be used. Is the MBE account in Boquete, David, Panama City, or elsewhere? Does any of this really apply to residents in Chiriqui? Should we pay attention or be concerned (other than being happy for Rodny that things are looking up for him)? Just trying to understand what really is going on and how it affects us, if at all. My gut tells me this is a good thing, not only for Rodny but also all of his RodnyDirect members in particular, and residents and visitors in general. My only concern is that Rodny not over commit and then not be able to respond in a timely manner should a large scale emergency require more energy than he has in his inventory. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyS Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 My understanding on reading the website was Rodny Direct would cover Chiriqui, and PNHN would cover most of the rest of Panama. So if you're in Chiriqui, you call Rodny. If you are traveling in other parts of Panama, call PNHN. I'm glad my question made you investigate further. Some clarification is definitely needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodny Direct Posted December 19, 2015 Author Share Posted December 19, 2015 Bud, let me answer on behalf of Rodny. These are reasonable questions and it would be good that everyone understand what is going on. Mark H. It appears to me that RodnyDirect is affiliating with another group to form the PNHN. Is that correct That is correct. Panama Helpline and Rodny Direct are independent organizations. However, Panama Helpline was set up from the beginning to be inter-operable with Rodny's Helpline and they have worked in close cooperation since 2011. This agreement expands the scope of cooperation for the benefit of the members of each. The $120 membership fee for Panama Helpline reflects a difference between the organizations. Panama Helpline has the mission of dealing with the violent gangs that emanate from Panama City. They devote substantial resources to lobbying and working with the national government to improve the response to crime for their tourist-dependent region. Rodny works internally with the Policia National to help them eliminate corruption and provide better services to expats. Is RodnyDirect itself changing in any substantive manner (meaning other than becoming part of PNHN)? No. There is a statement that the westernmost area of coverage for the PNHN is the city of Penoneme. That is east of Santiago by a couple of cities, which tells me that anyone living in the Chiriqui Province would not be eligible for the PNHN. Is that correct? The PNHN defines the operating territories of our two Helplines. It does not limit the coverage provided to members. Because of the cooperation between the two Helplines, it is not necessary to join both. If you are in Coronado and call Rodny, he has access to the same database of police, emergency responders, tow trucks, etc. that is used by Panama Helpline. We are residents of Boquete and already are [happy] members of RodnyDirect. We wonder if we have identical helpline services provided to us by being a member of RodnyDirect. Is that correct? In other words, being a RodnyDirect member would actually be redundant coverage if we were to join the PNHN. Are these correct understandings? The PNHN is an affiliation among independent Helplines, so there is nothing to join. Likewise, Chiriqui residents do not need to join the Panama Helpline. Both Helplines are functionally identical and share information. However, as noted above, with the PNHN agreement in place, services developed by one organization may be made available to the other(s). There is reference to AaC i(Info@altoalcrimen.org al Crimen) on the listed website as somehow being part of the PNHN. Are RodnyDirect and AaC joining together or somehow cooperating and/or coordinating their activities and support coverage? I am not aware of the reference, but it may be old information on the Panama Helpline site. AaC is not in any way associated with Panama Helpline or PNHN. (Rodny's contract with them ends in Feb. 2016) Who are Joanne B. Scott and Betty Morin? Those are new names to me. I ask because membership funds for PNHN are to be paid to an account in the Scott name, but somehow the Morin name is associated with a MBE account that is to be used. Is the MBE account in Boquete, David, Panama City, or elsewhere? These people are the board of Panama Helpline. Like I said, the two organizations are independent. Like here in Boquete, they use MBE as a payment location. Does any of this really apply to residents in Chiriqui? Should we pay attention or be concerned (other than being happy for Rodny that things are looking up for him)? With this cooperative agreement in place, it is possible for Rodny Direct and Panama Helpline to provide unique services to members of the other. Group health insurance might be one example, which is being pioneered by Panama Helpline. In addition, the benefits to residents of Chiriqui come from the world of Helplines becoming a bigger pond. We are looking forward to the establishment of additional Helplines within Panama and possibly in other countries. Each adds to the depth of information available to Rodny in providing coverage to Chiriqui residents as they travel. Just trying to understand what really is going on and how it affects us, if at all. My gut tells me this is a good thing, not only for Rodny but also all of his RodnyDirect members in particular, and residents and visitors in general. My only concern is that Rodny not over commit and then not be able to respond in a timely manner should a large scale emergency require more energy than he has in his inventory. There is no possibility that Rodny will overcommit. His business model is designed such that when his subscriber base grows to capacity, he will have the funds available to expand his staff. In addition, Rodny has the benefit of a team of volunteer advisors who provide technical, business, legal and financial services. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 Mark, You pealed back the layers of the onion very well. Very detailed and complete. Just what we needed. Thank you. My take is that we need do nothing. We have Rodny on our side already as members of RodnyDirect. That says it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted December 19, 2015 Share Posted December 19, 2015 (edited) With Mark's help, my understanding is that the original post is just an announcement of the new affiliation between the two helplines, providing members of each more comprehensive coverage throughout Panama. Thanks, Mark. Edited December 19, 2015 by Bonnie clarity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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