SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT
                       PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF
                       THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934


         Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): JULY 12, 2004



                          AMERICAN MEDICAL ALERT CORP.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


            NEW YORK                     333-54992                11-2571221
(State or other jurisdiction    (Commission File Number)        (IRS Employer
      of incorporation)                                      Identification No.)


3265 LAWSON BOULEVARD, OCEANSIDE, NEW YORK                            11572
 (Address of Principal Executive Offices)                          (Zip Code)



       Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (516) 536-5850



                                 NOT APPLICABLE
          (Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)










ITEM 5.  OTHER EVENTS

         On July 12, 2004, American Medical Alert Corp., a New York corporation,
issued the following press release announcing the promotion of Jack Rhian to the
position of President:



CONTACT:

RANDI BALDWIN                                          LESTER ROSENKRANTZ
VICE PRESIDENT COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING              INVESTOR RELATIONS
AMERICAN MEDICAL ALERT CORPORATION                     CAMERON ASSOCIATES
(516) 536-5850                                         (212) 245-8800 EXT. 212
RANDI.BALDWIN@AMAC.COM                                 LESTER@CAMERONASSOC.COM
- ----------------------                                 -----------------------




                   AMERICAN MEDICAL ALERT PROMOTES JACK RHIAN
                            TO POSITION OF PRESIDENT


OCEANSIDE,  NY--JULY 12,  2004--American  Medical Alert Corp. ("AMAC") announced
today  that  Jack  Rhian  has  been   appointed   President  of  AMAC  effective
immediately.  Howard M. Siegel will retain the title of Chief Executive  Officer
and  Chairman  of the  Board.  In  announcing  this  appointment,  the  Board of
Directors has  determined  that AMAC's growth and  diversification  mandates the
separation  of the two  posts of Chief  Executive  Officer  and  President.  Mr.
Rhian's performance in his position as Chief Operating Officer for the last four
(4) years (a post he will retain), has merited this appointment.

Howard M.  Siegel,  Chairman and CEO,  commented - "Since  joining AMAC in 2000,
Jack has  demonstrated a unique ability to effectively  operate the various AMAC
business units through a period of dramatic  diversification  and growth. With a
view towards the  diversification  of our revenues through the rapidly expanding
markets of disease  management/healthcare  monitoring and communication,  we are
now uniquely positioned to move forward in this area."

"AMAC's  business  segments are  extremely  synergistic  allowing the Company to
establish  high  levels  of  efficiency  in  the  deployment  of our  human  and
facilities resources. Our capacity for expansion into the disease management and
healthcare  monitoring  fields has never been  better  and we are  committed  to
steady  growth in this area.  In his  expanded  role,  we look forward to Jack's
continued  input as AMAC  continues to execute on its business  plan in order to
drive top and bottom line growth." concluded Mr. Siegel.




Rhian,  a  graduate  of New York  University  with a  Master's  degree in Public
Administration,  joined  AMAC  in 2000 as Vice  President  and  Chief  Operating
Officer and was elected to the AMAC board of directors in October of 2002. Prior
to joining AMAC,  Rhian operated in the capacity of Executive Vice President and
Chief Operating  Officer of Transcare New York,  Inc., a medical  transportation
company.  Prior to his many  years as an owner and  operator  of  ambulance  and
paramedic  services,  Mr. Rhian served as an  associate  administrator  at Coney
Island Hospital as well as other healthcare management related positions.


ABOUT AMERICAN MEDICAL ALERT CORP.

AMAC is a  national  provider  of  remote  health  monitoring  devices  and 24/7
communication  services  designed  to promote  early  medical  intervention  and
improve quality of life for senior,  disabled and  chronically ill  populations.
AMAC's product and service offerings include Personal Emergency Response Systems
(PERS),  electronic  medication reminder devices,  disease management monitoring
appliances  and 24/7 medical  on-call and emergency  response  monitoring.  AMAC
operates  several National  Medical On-Call and  Communication  Centers allowing
access to trained response professionals 24/7.

This press release contains forward-looking  statements that involve a number of
risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use
of  forward-looking  terminology  such as "may,"  "will,"  "expect,"  "believe,"
"estimate,"  "anticipate,"  "continue,"  or similar  terms,  variations of those
terms or the negative of those terms.  Important factors that could cause actual
results  to differ  materially  from  those  indicated  by such  forward-looking
statements  are set  forth in the  Company's  filings  with the  Securities  and
Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-KSB,
the Company's Quarterly Reports on Forms 10-QSB, and other filings and releases.
These include  uncertainties  relating to government  regulation,  technological
changes, our expansion plans and product liability risks.

                                       ###






                                    SIGNATURE
                                    ---------

         Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

Date:    July 12, 2004

                                            AMERICAN MEDICAL ALERT CORP.


                                            By: /s/ Richard Rallo
                                               ---------------------------------
                                                Name: Richard Rallo
                                                Title:  Chief Financial Officer