Marks Expansion of Innovative Conversation Map® Methodology Into New Disease Category
CHICAGO AND NEW YORK JULY 30, 2008 – 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 smokers2, 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 EngagementTM, 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 http://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.