Healthy Interactions and the American Thoracic Society Establish Five-Year Partnership...

Healthy Interactions and the American Thoracic Society Establish Five-Year
Partnership to Improve Patient Education in Respiratory Disease and Smoking
Cessation
Marks Expansion of Innovative Conversation Map(R) Methodology Into New Disease
Category

CHICAGO and NEW YORK, July 31 /PRNewswire/ -- Healthy Interactions, a
global leader in health education, and the American Thoracic Society, the
world's leading professional society for respiratory health, today announced
the beginning of a five-year U.S. partnership that will drive the development
and distribution of educational programs designed to help patients better
manage respiratory disease and overcome tobacco addiction. The agreement
represents the first application of Healthy Interactions innovative,
patient-centric Conversation Map learning methodology, which has been widely
used in the diabetes area, in the arena of respiratory health.
The Conversation Map approach uses the power of small group dialogue and
collaborative learning to improve health. Through this method, individuals
learn about a disease, recognize how their beliefs or attitudes affect their
perception of the disease, and discover ways they can change behavior and
improve their management of the disease. Healthy Interactions Conversation Map
tools have been widely used in North America since 2005, dramatically
improving healthcare professionals' ability to engage patients and support
behavior change.
With more than 34 million people in the U.S. who suffer from asthma or
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)(1) and 43 million smokers(2),
respiratory disease represents a leading cause of premature death and a
significant drain on American healthcare resources. Healthy Interactions and
the American Thoracic Society are partnering to develop new and powerful
educational tools to address the needs of those who suffer from asthma and
COPD as well as to help people quit smoking. The program will be developed and
distributed to healthcare professionals in early 2009 and will offer the
world's first group-based, interactive educational platform for patients who
suffer from asthma or COPD. Healthy Interactions will train thousands of
healthcare professionals and equip them with tools to impact millions of
patients.
"ATS is committed to advancing patient care in respiratory disease, and we
believe patient education is an essential component of management and
prevention," said Dr. Stephen Crane, executive director for the American
Thoracic Society. "The Conversation Map methodology offers a novel approach to
engaging patients, and we at the American Thoracic Society look forward to
partnering with Healthy Interactions to develop innovative and effective tools
to improve patient respiratory health nationwide."
"We believe our partnership with the American Thoracic Society and the
development of Conversation Map programs for respiratory health represent a
tremendous opportunity to make a huge leap in patients' ability to manage
asthma, COPD and smoking cessation. Together with ATS, we are enthusiastically
setting out to improve respiratory health as we have for patients with
diabetes," said Paul Lasiuk, co-founder of Healthy Interactions.
The respiratory program will build on the success of Healthy Interactions
Conversation Map program for diabetes. Through a partnership with the American
Diabetes Association, the Conversation Map methodology has been successfully
implemented for diabetes education across the U.S. More than 14,000 healthcare
professionals have been trained on the Conversation Map program in North
America, and by the end of 2008, it will be integrated into the diabetes
management platforms of 36 countries, impacting over three million people
worldwide.
About Healthy Interactions, Inc.
A global leader in health education, Healthy Interactions is devoted to
driving Personal Health Engagement(TM), our term for helping individuals
commit to healthier actions. We do this by creating innovative tools and
experiences that inspire people to change personal health behaviors and live
their best lives. Healthy Interactions builds partnerships with leading
medical and disease associations, not-for-profit organizations, corporations,
and caring healthcare professionals trained in our approaches, enabling
millions of people to take control of their health make informed patient
choices. Founded in 2003, Healthy Interactions is headquartered in Chicago, IL
USA. For more information, visit www.healthyi.com.
About The American Thoracic Society
Founded in 1905, the American Thoracic Society (ATS) is a non-profit,
international, professional and scientific society for respiratory, critical
care and sleep medicine. Its 15,000 members are committed to the prevention
and treatment of respiratory disease through research, education, patient care
and advocacy. The long-range goal of the ATS is to decrease morbidity and
mortality from respiratory, critical care and sleep disorders and
life-threatening acute illnesses in people of all ages. For more information,
visit www.thoracic.org.
(1) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Health Data for all Ages
(HDAA) -- Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, All Ages: US,
1998-2006 (Source: NHIS)
(2) American Lung Association Research and Program Services Epidemiology and
Statistics Unit -- Trends in Tobacco Use, July 2008
SOURCE Healthy Interactions

Joy Lee-Calio for Healthy Interactions, +1-646-502-3517,
jlee-calio@stantoncrenshaw.com; or Paul Lasiuk of Healthy Interactions,
+1-312-755-9901, paullasiuk@healthyi.com; or Keely Savoie of American Thoracic
Society, +1-212-315-8620, ksavoie@thoracic.org