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OPTN Board Approves Removing Race-Based Calculations of Kidney Function for Transplant Patients

United Network for Organ Sharing

The Board of Directors of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) yesterday approved a measure that will require transplant hospitals to no longer consider race when estimating a patient’s kidney function. The action, which will take effect July 27, will ensure that all candidates are assessed more equitably. United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the engine that powers the donation and transplant system, serves as the OPTN under federal contract. “This is an important step forward, in keeping with broad efforts to provide equitable healthcare for all,” said Matthew Cooper, M.D., president of the board. “Communities of color are disproportionately affected by end-stage kidney disease, so we must do all we can within our power to ensure that they receive the utmost access to lifesaving care.” The action will require all transplant hospitals to use race-neutral calculations when estimating a transplant candidate’s kidney function. For years, some calculations (known as eGFR) have included a modifier for Black patients based on outdated assumptions about race and biology. This practice has led to the severity of kidney disease in Black patients being systemically underestimated. It may have also negatively affected when Black patients get added to the national waitlist. The board is also developing a policy to address patients previously impacted by this measure. This new policy, which will soon come up for public comment, will correct the waiting time for Black patients who may have been affected by the race-based calculation. The OPTN Minority Affairs and Kidney Transplantation Committees co-sponsored the proposal that was approved by the board. The removal of race variables from eGFR calculations has been broadly supported by institutions, including the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, as well as a joint task force of the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) and the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). Improving equity in access to transplant opportunities for patients is an OPTN strategic goal. About UNOS United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is a non-profit, charitable organization that serves as the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) under contract with the federal government. The OPTN helps create and define organ allocation and distribution policies that make the best use of donated organs. This process involves continuously evaluating new advances and discoveries so policies can be adapted to best serve patients waiting for transplants. All transplant programs and organ procurement organizations throughout the country are OPTN members and are obligated to follow the policies the OPTN creates for allocating organs. Contact Details Anne Paschke +1 804-782-4730 anne.paschke@unos.org Company Website https://unos.org

June 28, 2022 05:13 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Know Your Back Story Campaign

YourUpdateTV

According to a new landmark survey, Mobility Matters: Low Back Pain in America conducted by Harris Poll, more than 72.3 million U.S. adults self-report they have chronic low back pain (CLBP)1 and 78% do not know that an enlarged ligament can be the cause. But there is hope for people who have been suffering with chronic low back and leg pain. Recently, Dr. Denis Patterson, specialist in neurological disorders and musculoskeletal issues and his patient, Lee Davis conducted a satellite media tour to talk about the “ Know Your Back Story ” campaign, a national health awareness campaign that educates and encourages millions of people with chronic low back pain, due to pain, numbness, heaviness, or tingling in back, legs, or buttocks when standing or walking, and their physicians to learn more about their “back story”, the potential cause, lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), the importance of looking for the enlarged ligament, screening, and potential treatment options. A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://youtu.be/dokXFqXWQiQ Lumbar spinal stenosis, or LSS, is a condition in which the lower spinal canal narrows and compresses the nerves in the lower back and up to 85% of spinal canal narrowing is caused by an enlarged ligament.2 People with LSS typically experience a variety of symptoms that affect daily life, including low back and leg pain and limited mobility. People with LSS often feel pain, numbness, tingling, or heaviness when standing or walking that is relieved by sitting, bending forward, or sleeping curled in the fetal position. While generally found in people over the age of 50, the likelihood of developing LSS increases with age. The Know Your Back Story campaign addresses the physical and emotional aspects of health and mobility as it relates to chronic low back pain and includes: · Landmark Survey - Mobility Matters: Low Back Pain in America - Harris Poll survey that reveals misconceptions about chronic low back pain and need for education about the impact on mobility, quality of life, and the right spine health doctor to go to who can diagnose and outline treatment options available. · The first-ever Mobility Index to demonstrate how people should be moving through the decades of their lives without chronic low back pain. · #LookForTheLigament Education and Experiential Mobile Unit tour visits New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Sarasota, and West Palm Beach to educate, engage, and increase awareness about the enlarged ligament as a potential cause for low back pain and encourage people to be screened for LSS. This experiential mobile unit includes: Visualization stations exploring why LSS symptoms occur, tips on how to identify symptoms, how an enlarged ligament impacts spine health, and potential for a mild® Procedure treatment option Immersive 3D journey down the spinal canal to the lumbar region that explores the enlarged ligament, spine degeneration and how mild works Interactive Ligament Kiosk features an animated Mobility and the Enlarged Ligament education program that demonstrates the spinal compression inherent with LSS and its effect on pain, posture, and mobility; a Look for the Ligament swipe engagement for people to view and compare MRI images of a healthy ligament against an enlarged ligament; and How Do Doctors Describe LSS? Module filled with a colorful list of analogies doctors often use to explain the condition to patients · Interactive Motion Memoir iPads, featuring our writing program developed with award-winning author, certified therapist, and founder of the National Association of Memoir Writers (NAMW), Dr. Linda Joy Meyers, that provides tips and encouragement for people to write their own memoir vignette tracing their history of low back and leg pain so that their next chapter might be pain free. Also highlighted are mild patients telling their personal back stories · Campaign website: KnowYourBackStory.com is the online hub for all elements of the campaign including how to find a spine health doctor. How can people get help? Visit KnowYourBackStory.com for information about LSS and find a spine health doctor to have a conversation about the steps you can take to stand longer, walk farther, and get moving! Also, learn more about how to write/submit your personal low back story to address the physical and emotional aspects of your experience. How can healthcare providers get involved? Visit KnowYourBackStory.com for more information about how you can educate and identify patients, learn more about patient misconceptions when it comes to chronic low back pain, LSS, and potential treatment options such as the mild Procedure and more. --------------------------- About Dr. Denis G. Patterson, DO Board Certified Pain Medicine Board Certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Nevada Advanced Pain Specialists Reno, NV Dr. Patterson is a specialist in common and complex neurological disorders and musculoskeletal issues. He is an expert in electrodiagnostics (nerve conduction studies and electromyography) which aid in the diagnosis of nerve disorders. He utilizes non-surgical methods such as bracing, medications, physical therapy, spinal injections, and neuromodulation for the treatment of acute and chronic pain disorders. Dr. Patterson earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder and his medical degree at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. He successfully completed a residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. After residency, Dr. Patterson completed a comprehensive Interventional Pain Management Fellowship at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He became dually board certified in Pain Medicine and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in 2007. Upon completion of his medical training, Dr. Patterson moved to Reno, Nevada. Since that time, he has been helping patients in the greater Reno area with acute and chronic pain needs. About Lee Davis, Dr. Patterson’s Patient Lee is a retired former police officer, bus driver · Symptoms: Chronic pain, difficulty walking on hardwood stage, severe muscle spasms · Prior Treatments: Laminectomy discectomy, fusion, ESIs, nerve blockers · Procedure: September 2020 · After mild procedure: Only feels pain when it is cold due to arthritis, “mild has been a miracle, sleep is much better”. Now off anti-depressants. About Vertos Medical Inc. Vertos Medical Inc. is a medical device company committed to developing innovative, minimally invasive treatments for lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). mild®, its proprietary technology, is a safe and minimally invasive outpatient procedure designed to restore space in the spinal canal through an incision smaller than the size of a baby aspirin. Vertos empowers healthcare providers and patients with minimally invasive treatments for LSS. After witnessing the impact that LSS has on millions of patients’ quality of life annually, it became the company’s mission to help patients suffering from low back pain reclaim their quality of life using the simplest, safest, most durable, and early treatment available. Allowing patients to get back to what matters most to them is what matters most to Vertos. From playing with their grandkids or golfing with friends to getting a better night’s sleep and doing it all over again, Vertos want to help patients find joy every day by increasing their mobility and reducing their pain — in the least invasive way. About the mild® Procedure The mild Procedure is an FDA-cleared early treatment option that addresses a major root cause of Lumbar Spinal Stenosis (LSS) – primarily a degenerative, age-related narrowing of the lower spinal canal that causes symptoms of pain and numbness in the lower back, legs, or buttocks. mild® treats this condition by removing excess ligament tissue to restore space in the spinal canal. mild is the only treatment with a safety profile similar to an Epidural Steroid Injection (ESI), and the lasting relief expected from back surgery3 and an option to consider when conservative therapies such as physical therapy, pain medication, and chiropractic treatments are not providing adequate relief. Using specialized mild devices physicians remove excess ligament compressing the spinal canal, through a single, tiny incision smaller than the size of a baby aspirin (5.1-mm). 1 Mobility Matters: Low Back Pain in America, Harris Poll Survey, 2022. View data and full summary at KnowYourBackStory.com. 2 Hansson T, Suzuki N, Hebelka H, Gaulitz A. The narrowing of the lumbar spinal canal during loaded MRI: the effects of the disc and ligamentum flavum. Eur Spine J. 2009;18(5):679-686. Doi:10.1007/s00586-009-0919-7. 3 Benyamin RM, Staats, PS, MiDAS ENCORE Investigators. mild® is an effective treatment for lumbar spinal stenosis with neurogenic claudication: MiDAS ENCORE Randomized Controlled Trial. Pain Physician, 2016;19(4):229-242 Contact Details YourUpdateTV +1 212-736-2727 yourupdatetv@gmail.com

June 28, 2022 04:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time

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UNOS CEO Brian Shepard to Leave Organization after a Decade of Service

United Network for Organ Sharing

United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) today announced that CEO Brian Shepard will depart the organization at the end of September, following the completion of his contract. Shepard’s 10-year tenure as UNOS CEO was marked by groundbreaking progress in the U.S. organ donation and transplantation system. Maureen McBride, Ph.D., UNOS’ chief operating officer, will assume the role of interim CEO beginning October 1 while UNOS conducts a national search for Shepard’s successor. McBride has been with the organization since 1995. She served as director of research until 2014, when she accepted her current role as COO. During his tenure, Shepard presided over the adoption of innovative policies, lifesaving improvements and record increases in both organ donation and transplant, including 2021, when the national system conducted over 41,000 transplants in a single year, a global record. These and other advancements have positioned UNOS to drive the next phase of system progress, from increasing equity in transplant to adopting cutting-edge technologies to collaborative improvement, further strengthening the nation’s high performing system and saving more lives. “As UNOS CEO, Brian was a constant and courageous advocate for increasing equity in our national donation and transplantation system,” said Jerry McCauley, M.D., the vice president of the UNOS Board of Directors and incoming president. “His leadership has resulted in marked improvements in access to transplant for patients of color and those who have been historically marginalized. I am proud to have worked alongside Brian as a member of the UNOS board and am excited to build upon the foundation he has laid to further advance our mission and save even more lives.” “UNOS is the engine that powers the U.S. donation and transplant system, and we are so lucky to have had Brian Shepard in the driver’s seat for the past decade,” said Matthew Cooper, M.D., president of the UNOS Board of Directors. “During such a pivotal time in our community, Brian took UNOS to the next level, driving accomplishments and championing the work of so many. His is a legacy to be celebrated.” Under Shepard’s leadership, UNOS undertook a series of efforts to increase equitable access to transplant, including adopting a new way to distribute donor organs that emphasizes patient need. These new polices have resulted in greater access for the sickest patient s. “These changes to organ distribution weren’t easy or always popular, and it was so important to have Brian centering these discussions,” said David Mulligan, M.D., immediate past president of the UNOS Board. “Now that these policies are in place, we can see the positive impact they’re having on patients and families across the country.” Additionally, Shepard was instrumental in the development of UNOS Labs, an innovation center dedicated to fostering new ideas and encouraging experimentation. Since its founding, UNOS Labs has developed transplant-focused predictive analytics to help doctors decide whether to accept an organ offer for their patient, a GPS tracker for organ shipments, an offer simulator to conduct behavioral science research to improve organ matching, and a high-quality medical image sharing platform. “The UNOS team is the most incredibly talented and dedicated team I’ve ever had the honor of being a part of,” said Shepard. “I’ve always viewed my job as making their job easier; removing obstacles and watching them run. I’m so proud of what they’ve accomplished and of all of the ongoing efforts that will further improve donation and transplant in the U.S.” Over the last several years, Shepard has helped put into place a new allocation policy, dubbed Continuous Distribution. This innovative approach dissolves rigid boundaries, structured so that no single attribute determines whether or not a patient receives a transplant. Importantly, Continuous Distribution is also designed to allow for more patient engagement in the decision-making process. “As a three decade heart transplant survivor who strongly advocates increased involvement for transplant patients in the policy development process, continuous distribution is a game changer,” said Jim Gleason, president of Transplant Recipients International Organization (TRIO), engaged with UNOS for over 25 years and former two-term UNOS Board member. “This effort is not only going to help guide patients to the information they need in their transplant journey, it will also give them an active contributor seat at the decision-making table.” “From policymaking to technology, from system-wide improvements to one-on-one interactions, Brian’s leadership has left an indelible mark on UNOS and the wider donation and transplant community,” said Sue Dunn, former CEO of Donor Alliance and former president of the UNOS Board of Directors. “But for me, to see his ongoing commitment to honoring selfless donors, their courageous families, and recognizing the often-thankless work of our OPOs – that is a legacy be proud of.” “We’ve come such a long way in the last decade,” said Shepard. “While I am honored that the Board asked me to continue to serve as CEO, I felt it was the right time to take the next step. I have worked with so many amazing and dedicated people over the years who made it possible to accomplish all that I originally set out to do as UNOS CEO. Now, as we embark on a new chapter with even more exciting opportunities, I know the UNOS team and the donation and transplant community are in good hands, and I’m excited about the future.” About UNOS United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) is the mission-driven non-profit serving as the nation’s transplant system under contract with the federal government. We lead the network of transplant hospitals, organ procurement organizations, and thousands of volunteers who are dedicated to honoring the gifts of life entrusted to us and to making lifesaving transplants possible for patients in need. Working together, we leverage data and advances in science and technology to continuously strengthen the system, increase the number of organs recovered and the number of transplants performed, and ensure patients across the nation have equitable access to transplant. Contact Details United Network for Organ Sharing Anne Paschke +1 804-782-4730 anne.paschke@unos.org Company Website https://unos.org

June 28, 2022 12:25 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Doctors don’t know what’s happening! New health app CAREFUL helps clinical teams reduce the dangers of handover

CAREFUL

Thousands of patients are dying every year and hospitals are wasting up to 15% of their entire budget as a result of poor handover. The UK NHS wastes at least £250m a year from delays to discharge, and the same problem is seen in hospitals throughout the world. Today, healthcare start-up CAREFUL has launched its platform to help make handover safe, save lives and speed-up patient flow in hospitals by making discharges quicker to save costs and improve care. Handover is a critical process in healthcare when responsibility for patients transfers from one clinician or team to another. In every hospital, thousands of such handovers take place every week. Most hospitals use a combination of inefficient, informal communication systems for handover including bits of paper, sticky notes, and WhatsApp messages. Established in 2021, Careful has been testing and building its tech platform to enable clinicians to seamlessly capture and update health data and records of patients in hospital care. CAREFUL is a digital health platform that enables visibility, accountability and collaboration as patients move through different care settings and interact with different care-givers. The platform provides hospitals, clinicians and multidisciplinary teams with a constantly updated, holistic view of every patient’s plan of care to ensure their safe and frictionless movement throughout their health journey. Research from CAREFUL* shows a quarter of all doctors and nurses worldwide use spreadsheets to record lists of patients and tasks. A clear view of the status of the hospital — and predicting future flows — is obscured. Staff don’t know what’s happening and nor do the patients. Even in digitally advanced hospitals, critical tasks are regularly lost or forgotten. “All these headaches can be solved quickly and easily with CAREFUL” says Dr DJ Hamblin-Brown, Founder & CEO of the company. “CAREFUL is a simple-to-use and easy-to-implement application which helps hospitals communicate internally, and also with patients and their families”. Dr Hamblin-Brown was motivated to build CAREFUL because his mother nearly died from a simple communication failure in a UK hospital. He adds, “Although clinicians take handover very seriously, errors still occur because staff are let down by the systems they are forced to use. With desperate shortages of clinical staff, hospitals need CAREFUL to help save money and save lives.” The WHO estimates that 15% of all hospital expenditure is wasted on adverse events that happen to patients – and that 80% of these are due to poor handover. This causes serious harm to patients, sometimes with fatal outcomes. Inadequate systems leave staff over-burdened and stressed, leading to resignations and burnout. Errors also cause delays. Beds are taken up by patients who should be discharged. Once at home, the problems continue. No one knows what the next steps are and patients are often lost to follow-up. Together this costs every hospital millions every year. Dr Johann Grunlingh, an NHS emergency medicine consultant and Intensive Care specialist in London. He and his team at Newham Hospital helped to test the application during development. He says, “Handover is a time consuming and dangerous process especially in critical care. CAREFUL fills a huge gap where Electronic Patient Record systems perform poorly. CAREFUL provides an action-focus that would benefit every care team in the NHS.” “CAREFUL can be up-and-running in any hospital, clinic, or care home in a matter of days”, says Dr Hamblin-Brown. It works on mobile, tablet or desktop presenting critical information for each patient, along with task lists assigned to individuals, clarifying who needs to do what, and when. As staff change shift, and patients move through the hospital, tasks and status information move with them – even out into the community or home. As a result, patients and staff know at all times what is happening, and who is responsible. Roohi Hamlani, CAREFUL’s co-founder and Head of Patient Participation is passionate about extending CAREFUL’s reach into care-homes and families, from whom patients receive the majority of their care. CAREFUL’s approach was based on her work in Asia improving outcomes with collaborative care for chronic disease patients. She says better workflows are about breaking-down silos. “To provide the very best care, clinicians, families and caregivers all need to work together across boundaries. CAREFUL bridges the gaps that exist today”. CAREFUL users can send, receive and share responsibility for patient care during peer-to-peer handover, internal referrals, discharges and transfers between organisations. Patient safety is improved because nothing is lost or forgotten. Patient information is added, reviewed and updated at every transition of care to ensure a complete and continuous health story across care settings. Caregivers contribute to the story as the patient moves between community care, hospital, teams and home or back into community care. Patients are invited to access and contribute to their own record. CAREFUL uses privacy-by-design principles and is regulatorily-compliant in UK, Europe, USA. As a cloud-based application, it is fully encrypted and protected. It is also fully interoperable using industry standard messaging – so that it can integrate with healthcare systems globally Dr Jeffrey Staples has led large hospital and health systems across Middle East and Asia building quality and operational excellence commented: “CAREFUL has global relevance across the private and public healthcare sectors. Hospitals find it hard to understand what is happening with patient flow in real time. Important data often stays in clinicians’ pockets or just gets thrown away. In my view, CAREFUL will significantly improve clinical and operational performance.” Recently, CAREFUL published the results of a study* on clinicians’ experience of handover. The findings were sobering. Errors in handover occur weekly or daily according to 12% of respondents. Nearly 10% had witnessed severe harm because of handover error. Dr Hamblin-Brown and Ms Hamlani are clear that “We work in an industry that is failing to take seriously the dangers of handover. It is arguably the most common, and one of the most important, processes. We harm both staff and patients if we fail to address the dangers of handover.” About CAREFUL CAREFUL is a digital health platform that enables visibility, accountability and collaboration as patients move through different care settings and interact with different care-givers. The platform provides hospitals, clinicians and multidisciplinary teams with a constantly updated, holistic view of every patient’s plan of care to ensure their safe and frictionless movement throughout their health journey. CAREFUL is backed by Artesian, The Pension SuperFund as well as Brinc and was recently welcomed into the Microsoft for Startups programme. The team is made up of experienced clinicians and technologists from every corner of the globe and are united by a shared goal: to ensure the right care is provided at the right time, by the right person, every time. Available on mobile, tablet and desktop, CAREFUL is designed to interoperate with and complement existing Hospital information systems/Electronic Patient Record systems and replace manual, paper-based systems or messaging apps with a future-focused collaboration tool. For more information please visit https://careful.online/ Contact Details Bilal Mahmood +44 7714 007257 b.mahmood@stockwoodstrategy.com Company Website https://careful.online/

June 28, 2022 08:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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The Greeley Company Rebrands as Chartis Clinical Quality Solutions

Greeley

The Greeley Company, a division of The Chartis Group (Chartis) and a leader in clinical quality and patient safety services and solutions, will become Chartis Clinical Quality Solutions. Since Greeley joined Chartis three years ago, the two firms have worked closely to align their expertise and expand capabilities to support clients in achieving top-tier clinical performance. “Today is an exciting moment as our firm enters the next stage of growth by aligning our brand with Chartis,” said Greg Kopulos, President at Chartis Clinical Quality Solutions. “By leveraging Chartis’ performance improvement, care models, operations and change management expertise, we can expand the scope of how we support our clients exponentially. What won’t change is our absolute commitment to providing high-value services and solutions to our clients. I am looking forward to this next chapter.” Chartis Clinical Quality Solutions brings together the respective expertise and experience of both firms in four solution areas: High Reliability Care Solutions – Comprehensive offerings that align clinical quality and patient safety processes, operations, and structures to create high reliability organizations. Medical Staff Services Optimization – Enablement and optimization of organized medical staff services to improve efficiency, reduce administrative burden, and deliver the highest quality, most appropriate care. Education Solutions – Educational offerings that help physician and administrative leaders manage in a complex environment against challenges such as regulatory requirements, economic alignment, clinical quality, and burnout. Workforce Solutions – Expansion of Greeley’s interim staffing business to support clinical, business, and administrative leaders in addressing today’s complex workforce challenges. While much is changing, day-to-day operations and the Greeley Leadership team will remain the same. “Throughout the past three years, Chartis and The Greeley Company have worked together to introduce joint capabilities to clients,” said Ken Graboys, Co-Founder and CEO at The Chartis Group. “This rebrand is the culmination of incredible collaboration, and a shared commitment to healthcare organizations and the communities they serve. As Chartis Clinical Quality Solutions, we work with clients to materially improve patient quality, safety, and outcomes.” About Chartis Clinical Quality Solutions Chartis Clinical Quality Solutions is a partner to healthcare organizations nationwide, helping to advance patient safety and clinical quality for the past 30+ years. Through our four lines of business—High Reliability Care Solutions, Medical Staff Services Optimization, Education Solutions, and Chartis Workforce Solutions—we help healthcare providers achieve top-tier clinical performance. For more information, visit chartisquality.com. About The Chartis Group® The Chartis Group® (Chartis) is a leading healthcare advisory services firm serving healthcare providers, payers, service organizations, and investors. Different by design, Chartis brings an unparalleled breadth and depth of expertise in strategy, performance improvement, digital and technology, clinical quality and patient safety, health equity and belonging, and strategic communications. Learn how Chartis is helping to build a healthier world at chartis.com. Contact Details Brooke Ferreri +1 212-931-6182 bferreri@hotpaperlantern.com Company Website https://www.chartisquality.com/

June 27, 2022 01:45 PM Eastern Daylight Time

Stupid Cancer and its partners release a statement regarding abortion access for cancer patients

Stupid Cancer, Inc.

The following joint statement was issued today by Stupid Cancer's Board of Directors and co-signed by Bright Spot Network, Cactus Cancer Society, Cervivor, Elephants and Tea, Escape, Family Reach, Fuck Cancer, Imerman Angels, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, Teen Cancer America, True North Treks, and The Ulman Foundation. Stupid Cancer and its Board of Directors is committed to the empowerment of people affected by adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer. As patient advocacy organizations serving AYA patients, we join the medical community in fully renouncing any efforts to limit or remove access to safe abortion care. Abortion is a safe and essential healthcare right. Patients with cancer may face many difficult choices in their treatment journey. Patients who learn of a cancer diagnosis during pregnancy often must choose between continuing pregnancy (delaying essential life-saving treatments) and termination of pregnancy. Surgeries or medical treatment for cancer that could also result in loss of pregnancy would be considered abortion under certain state laws. This threatens the patient’s ability to receive cancer care in a timely fashion. Additionally, the continued interference of state legislatures into individuals’ personal healthcare decisions undermines the principles of the patient-physician relationship. These decisions are personal and should be made by patients in discussion with their medical team and not limited by legal consideration. Changes occurring in state laws ( Texas SB8, Oklahoma HB4327 ) and the recent ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States regarding Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organization raise grave concerns regarding access to abortion care in this country. Multiple leading medical organizations including American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) 1, Society for Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) 2, American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) 3, North American Society of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology (NASPAG) and Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) have denounced the opinions of this ruling. Given trigger laws in effect in at least 25 states, swift and immediate loss of abortion access is expected. A joint statement from NASPAG/SAHM 4 outlines how these changes would affect adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients in particular. AYA patients undergoing cancer care often consider options for preserving their fertility prior to cancer therapies, including freezing embryos. Given the confusion and misconceptions that anti-abortion legislation has caused and more recent bans starting with fertilization, we also have grave concerns that these laws and those that follow will limit the ability of patients to access fertility preservation techniques and have control over reproductive decision making of their stored tissue in the future. Finally, given misconceptions about the mechanisms of actions of many of the most effective contraceptive methods (including emergency contraceptives), we have serious concerns about the potential for limitations on AYA patients' access to the best form of contraception for them. We, the undersigned, are patient advocacy nonprofit organizations supporting AYA patients and their loved ones. We remain committed to advocating for the AYA community to have resources to navigate treatment and survivorship on their own terms, inclusive of access to abortion care. Signed Stupid Cancer, Inc. Bright Spot Network Cactus Cancer Society Cervivor Elephants and Tea Escape Family Reach Fuck Cancer Imerman Angels Living Beyond Breast Cancer Teen Cancer America True North Treks The Ulman Foundation [1] American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. (2022, May 2) ACOG Statement on Reports of a Draft Opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson [Press Release]. Retrieved from https://www.acog.org/news/news-releases/2022/05/acog-statement-on-reports-of-a-draft-opinion-in-dobbs-v-jackson [2] Society for Gynecologic Oncology. (2022, May 4) SGO Commits to Policy Action and Advocacy in Defense of Reproductive Rights. [Press Release]. Retrieved from https://www.sgo.org/news/sgo-commits-to-policy-action-and-advocacy-in-defense-of-reproductive-rights/ [3] American Society of Reproductive Medicine. (2022, May 3) ASRM Issues Statement Regarding Roe v. Wade and Its Possible Implications on Access to Reproductive Care. [Press Release} Retrieved from https://www.asrm.org/news-and-publications/news-and-research/press-releases-and-bulletins/asrm-issues-statement-regarding-roe-v.-wade-and-its-possible-implications-on-access-to-reproductive-care/ [4] North American Society of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology and Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. (2022, May 17). SAHM/NASPAG Statement on Leaked Draft SCOTUS Opinion Regarding Mississippi v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization [Press Release]. Retrieved from https://naspag.memberclicks.net/assets/docs/SAHM%20NASPAG%20Statement%202022.05.17.pdf About Stupid Cancer: Stupid Cancer's mission is to help empower everyone in the adolescent and young adult (AYA) community by ending isolation and building community. Contact Details Stupid Cancer Alison Silberman +1 212-619-1040 media@stupidcancer.org Company Website https://stupidcancer.org/

June 27, 2022 01:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time

New study reveals impact of hospital visitors on patient safety

Patient Safety Authority

Families, friends, and loved ones visiting patients in the hospital play an important role in improving patient safety, but there are times when their actions may be detrimental. A new report from the Patient Safety Authority reveals how visitor behaviors can influence the risk of patient harm. The study is highlighted in the June issue of PATIENT SAFETY. About 64% of the time, a visitor’s behavior had a positive impact on patient safety; 36% of the time it made patient safety worse. Harm occurred most frequently when visitors moved or physically stabilized a patient, provided or removed items such as food, or manipulated equipment. In contrast, visitor behavior was found to prevent patient falls, the administration of incorrect medication, and allergic reactions. The report also includes safety tips for visitors to the hospital. “It’s important that visitors do not help a patient walk, unless directed by a staff member,” says patient safety analyst Christine Sanchez who led the study. “What can visitors do to help? Alert staff about new or worsening symptoms, if they think a wrong medication is being given, or if something in a medical document doesn’t seem right. These are a few examples of actions that can help reduce harm.” Data for the analysis was drawn from PA-PSRS, one of the largest patient safety databases in the world, with more than 4 million event reports. Other topics in this issue of PATIENT SAFETY include: 2021 data reports from PA-PSRS - From the most common type of event in hospitals to healthcare-associated infections affecting nursing home residents, these concise analyses make the most complex information easy to understand. Pediatric dose calculation factors - Medication management is one of the most precarious processes when it comes to our youngest patients. A team from the MedStar Health Research Institute analyzed patient safety events and found that 81.6% of them might have been prevented with optimal technology. PATIENT SAFETY is the peer-reviewed journal of the Patient Safety Authority. A scientific publication, PATIENT SAFETY humanizes patient harm with stories, opinion pieces, and magazine-quality design. It has a readership of more than 45,000 people in 164 countries. About PSA Established under the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (MCARE) Act of 2002, the PSA, an independent state agency, collects and analyzes patient safety data to improve safety outcomes and help prevent patient harm. http://patientsafety.pa.gov/ Contact Details Bev Volpe +1 609-230-4696 bev@madisongall.com Company Website http://patientsafety.pa.gov/

June 24, 2022 09:54 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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CleverTap Recognized by Great Place to Work® Among India’s Great Mid-size Workplaces

CleverTap

CleverTap, the modern, integrated retention cloud, has been recognized by Great Place to Work® India as one of India’s Great Mid-size Workplaces 2022. CleverTap is recognized for creating and sustaining a high-trust, high performance work culture. In its 6th edition this year for India, the list has grown to include the top 75 companies, up from the top 50 until last year. The rigorous methodology to assess workplace culture and identify India's Great Mid-size Workplaces 2022 is considered the gold standard globally. In the Great Place to Work® India study, they have observed that the Great Mid-size Workplaces have gone above and beyond to create and sustain aspirational organizations. Effective leadership is visible in these workplaces that are fostering a culture of fairness and originality, while offering flexibility to their employees in the current hybrid work environment. Organizations that succeed in establishing high-trust, high-performance cultures, and maximizing human potential by bridging experience gaps, will be Great Places to Work For All in the future. “We’re very excited to be recognized by Great Place to Work® India as one of India’s Great Mid-size Workplaces. Even before the pandemic hit, we believed that an empathetic and flexible work culture is the essence of an organization’s growth,” says Sidharth Malik, Chief Executive Officer, CleverTap. “Our employees and their holistic well-being have always been the top priority for us. The recognition by Great Place to Work® India is a testament to our commitment of building a workplace that is inclusive and driven, and one that provides its people an environment to thrive and succeed in everything they do.” “With homes becoming an extension of people's workplaces, this year companies around the world were challenged to put their people at the center of their strategies. But the organizations that invested in their culture and people before the pandemic have overcome these challenges effortlessly. Being recognized as one of India’s Best Workplaces 2022 demonstrates these organizations' commitment to improving their culture and putting their people first, whatever challenges they face,” says Yeshasvini Ramaswamy, CEO, Great Place to Work®, India. As a global authority on workplace culture, Great Place to Work® has been studying employee experience and people practices across organizations for over three decades. Every year, more than 10,000 organizations from over 60 countries partner with Great Place to Work® Institute for assessment, benchmarking, and planning of actions to strengthen their workplace culture. About CleverTap CleverTap is the modern, integrated retention cloud that empowers digital consumer brands to increase customer retention and lifetime value. CleverTap drives contextual individualization with the help of a unified and deep data layer, AI/ML-powered insights, and automation enabling brands to offer hyper-personalized and delightful experiences to their customers. 1,200+ customers in 60+ countries and 10,000+ apps, including Gojek, ShopX, Canon, Mercedes Benz, Electronic Arts, TED, Jio, Premier League, TD Bank, Carousell, Papa John’s, and Tesco, trust CleverTap to achieve their retention and engagement goals, growing their long-term revenue. Backed by leading venture capital firms, including Sequoia, Tiger Global Management, and Accel, the company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, with offices in Mumbai, Singapore, Sofia, São Paulo, Bogota, Amsterdam, Jakarta, and Dubai. For more information, visit clevertap.com or follow on LinkedIn and Twitter. Forward-Looking Statements Some of the statements in this press release may represent CleverTap’s belief in connection with future events and may be forward-looking statements, or statements of future expectations based on currently available information. CleverTap cautions that such statements are naturally subject to risks and uncertainties that could amount in the actual result being absolutely different from the results anticipated by the statements mentioned in the press release. Factors such as the development of general economic conditions affecting our business, future market conditions, our ability to maintain cost advantages, uncertainty with respect to earnings, corporate actions, client concentration, reduced demand, liability or damages in our service contracts, unusual catastrophic loss events, war, political instability, changes in government policies or laws, legal restrictions impacting our business, impact of pandemic, epidemic, any natural calamity and other factors that are naturally beyond our control, changes in the capital markets and other circumstances may cause the actual events or results to be materially different, from those anticipated by such statements. CleverTap does not make any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or updated or revised status of such statements. Therefore, in no case whatsoever will CleverTap and its affiliate companies be liable to anyone for any decision made or action taken in conjunction with the information and/or statements in this press release or any related damages Contact Details Sony Shetty sony@clevertap.com Company Website https://clevertap.com/

June 24, 2022 03:18 AM Eastern Daylight Time

NextFerm Technologies announces its first commercial delivery of ProteVin™, in the U.S

NextFerm Technologies Ltd.

Company has delivered two tons of raw material to SpaceMilk, a health and wellness brand, expected to launch its ProteVin™ based product during this summer The company marks the achievement of the second strategic milestone (out of five) for 2022. This announcement follows an earlier announcement made this week about initiating ProteVin’s commercial production The Company is expected to continue supplying ProteVin to customers in the coming weeks, and is currently in dialogues with leading food and dietary supplement brands, for the integration of ProteVin™ in their alternative products (Yokneam Illit, June 22, 2022) – NextFerm Technologies Ltd. (TASE:NXFR), a food-tech company developing ProteVin™, a vegan, fermentation-based, non-GMO protein alternative and other innovative yeast-based nutrients, announced today of the first commercial delivery of ProteVin to a U.S customer. The Company delivered 2 tons out of SpaceMilk’s purchase order obtained in July 2021. SpaceMilk (Former PrimaLife Nutrition), is a US health and wellness brand and the first to launch a vegan protein powder based on ProteVin™. This protein powder will enable consumers to enjoy vegan protein with animal like nutritional value and perfect taste. The ProteVin™ brand name will appear on the product label, as the leading nutritional substance in the product. SpaceMilk is expected to be launched and available for sale to end users during the coming summer months, mostly online. The supply of the remaining of the order, as well as other open orders, shall continue during the coming weeks. The delivery of the first purchase order marks the achievement of the second out of five milestones set by the Company for 2022. This announcement follows an earlier announcement made this week about the initiation of commercial production (first milestone). The Company continues to progress towards the completion of its objectives for 2022, which include: increasing market demands, receiving additional purchase orders for ProteVin™ and increasing commercial production capacity from current scale of tens of tons to a scale of hundreds of tons per year in 2023. Boaz Noy, Chief Executive Officer of NextFerm, said: "We are excited to launch ProteVin, our vegan protein, as planned, and supply it to our first customers, who has expressed confidence in the product by placing purchase orders even before production has started. The alternative protein market, is currently estimated at $20 billion, and is expected to grow to about $290 billion by 2035, at an annual growth rate of above 20%. Today, it is indisputable that it is the main growth engine for the global food industry. This growing trend of consuming vegan foods as part of a balanced diet is becoming ever more popular within the general population that considers these foods to be healthier and more sustainable. "We are proud to be one of the leading innovators in the alternative protein B2B market, by offering the only vegan protein with a neutral flavor and animal like nutritional value that allow it to be incorporated into a variety of foods. We are also making progress in meeting the rest of the milestones for 2022, including: dialogues with food and nutrition brands, who are looking into incorporating ProteVin into their alternative product lines in such fields as dairy substitutes, powder premixes, snacks and more. At the same time, we are preparing to increase production capacity to a scale of hundreds of tons per year, in order to respond to the expected increase in demands." About NextFerm Technologies NextFerm Technologies, traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE:NXFR) is a food-tech company engaged in the research, development, manufacturing and marketing of innovative, functional and vegan yeast-derived, non-GMO protein alternatives for various applications in the food and food supplement markets and the growing market for animal-derived protein alternatives. NextFerm's flagship product is ProteVin™, a vegan, yeast-derived protein with animal-like nutritional value (Amino acid profile BCAA=21%, Leucine=9%, EAA=53% and high digestibility PDCAAS=1) and a neutral flavor. ProteVin™ is designed for a variety of categories in the alternative protein market, which is estimated at USD 20 billion in terms of final products and at USD 3.5 billion in terms of raw materials with an annual growth rate of above 20%, including milk and dairy substitutes, meat substitutes and additional categories such as infant nutrition, adult nutrition, and sports nutrition. Another product currently being sold is Astaferm®, an innovative astaxanthin-based antioxidant derived from yeast that has been sold in the US since the end of 2020 through well-established and leading brands in the food supplement market in the US. In July 2021, the Company received Regulatory marketing approval in Canada. The company has additional products which have been licensed to Lallemand, a global giant focused on yeast. For more information, visit the NextFerm website at: www.nextferm.com Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements This announcement also includes forecasts, projections, assessments, estimates and other information which refer to future events and matters, the realization of which is uncertain and not exclusively under the Company’s control (forward-looking information). The main facts and data used to support this information are facts and data regarding the current position of the Company and its businesses (including the scope of sales and levels of profitability, manpower, commercial engagements and more), facts and data regarding the current global position of the Company’s operating segments (including industry-specific financial developments, environmental regulatory developments, the competitive environment, technological developments, the reinsurance market and more), and macro-economic facts and data (including the economic situation both in Israel and around the world, yields in the capital markets, social and state developments and more), all as known by the Company when publishing this announcement. The forward-looking information included above in this announcement is significantly based upon, in addition to the existing information held by the Company, on the Company’s current assessments and expectations of future developments vis-a-vis each one of the aforementioned parameters, and the interconnectedness of each one of these developments. The Company has no certainty that its forecasts and assessments will indeed eventuate, and the Company’s operating results may be materially different than the results assessed or implicit based on that set forth above, inter alia, as a result of a change in any of the aforementioned factors. Contact Details Investor and Media Contact Meirav Gomeh-Bauer +972 54-476-4979 meirav@bauerg.com Company Website https://www.nextferm.com/

June 22, 2022 09:50 AM Eastern Daylight Time

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