HealthMedia(R) and Georgetown University Launch Campus-Wide Smoking Cessation Program
04/18/01
WASHINGTON, April 18 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthMedia, Inc., a leading-edge
lifestyle management and disease prevention company, together with Georgetown
University, announced today the launch of a unique, campus-wide smoking
cessation program, HealthMedia(
Georgetown University will implement Breathe across campus this month.
The program, based on next generation technology, will be available online to
all members of the University community, including faculty, staff, students,
and spouses. After completing a comprehensive yet brief questionnaire, each
participant will be provided with a custom tailored, four-part smoking
cessation action plan specifically created for that individual.
"At Georgetown, we are committed to caring for the whole person," said
Carol Day, RN, CNS, MSN, director of The Center for Health Enhancement at
Georgetown. "Central to this philosophy is the development and implementation
of programs and incentives that promote the health and well-being of our
community. We recognize that smoking is a major public health issue and are
pleased to partner with HealthMedia to provide superior health management
opportunities to our students, faculty, and staff."
HealthMedia has created a suite of Lifestyle Management Programs that
includes smoking cessation, nutrition, overall health and wellness, weight
management and stress management. As with all HealthMedia products, the
company drew upon years of extensive knowledge, skill and practical experience
in behavior change science and smoking cessation techniques to create Breathe.
HealthMedia currently provides behavior change support programs for smoking
cessation for GlaxoSmithKline in the United States and NiQuitin(R) in Germany.
The full suite of products, including Breathe, is powered by HealthMedia's
proprietary technology platform, the Expert Tailored Counseling (ETC)
tailoring engine. The ETC engine allows Breathe to rival the effectiveness of
personal counseling at a cost marginally higher than brochures, is easy to
use, convenient, and completely private. It was also designed to easily reach
any size population, regardless of location. ETC creates one-of-a-kind custom
programs that are deeply tailored for every participant using the product.
Tailored programs have been found to be highly effective in changing
health behaviors, including smoking cessation. Convenience, ease of use, and
high relevance to the individual are some of the factors that lead to
increased participation and higher quit rates.
"HealthMedia is proud to have Georgetown University as a client. The
program we've instituted with them is truly ground-breaking, as this
partnership marks a revolutionary approach to smoking cessation, in the field
of higher education," said Ted Dacko, CEO and President of HealthMedia. "In
addition to our strong presence in the pharmaceutical sector, we are getting
tremendous interest from hospitals, universities, health plans, corporations,
and state and federal governments."
HealthMedia recently secured $1.75 MM in bridge funding. Participants in
this round of funding were current investors Avalon Investments of Ann Arbor,
MI, and The Princeton Fund of Bloomfield Hills, MI. Total funds secured to
date are in excess of $8 MM. The company is seeking additional investors at
this time.