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La Palma, CA – March 28, 2018 – Today, the Innovation Lab, a subsidiary of The Innovation Institute, which serves as its health care incubator, announced the rollout of the CVS HealthTM Elevating Arm Sling, a custom-designed hand elevation support. In partnership with Apothecary Products, LLC, the Elevating Arm Sling is now available in CVS Pharmacy locations across the U.S.
The Elevating Arm Sling was developed by Mark Elzik, MD, an orthopaedic hand surgeon for Mission Hospital, part of the Providence St. Joseph Health system. This health system is one of the six member owner investor health systems of The Innovation Institute.
Dr. Elzik said, “I couldn’t be more pleased to see this product now available to help the over 2,600,000 people who experience hand and wrist medical procedures annually.” He added, “While elevation is a key element of pre and post-surgical care, many patients don’t properly elevate their hand following an injury or after surgery. This can lead to swelling, pain and prolonged healing and follow-up visits. I designed the Elevating Arm Sling to target these problems.”
President and Chief Executive Officer for Apothecary Products, LLC, Nathan Hanson, said, “Our company’s purpose is to make life better for people and those who they care for. We do this by partnering with organizations like Innovation Lab and innovators like Dr. Elzik to make self-care solutions that are safe and simple to use.” He added, “the Elevating Arm Sling is an intuitive solution that is designed to make the time after surgery a little better for our consumers. We are proud to play a part in bringing this innovative new product to market.”
“The Elevating Arm Sling was developed by an innovative surgeon with fresh eyes who observed that a redesigned sling could significantly improve his patients’ healing,” said Ryan Kelly, Innovation Lab general manager. “We are excited to have partnered with Apothecary Products and see this product make its debut at CVS Pharmacy. We anticipate bringing to market many more medical products that are generated from ideas submitted by frontline health care professionals. These innovators witness, first-hand, where improvements can be made to improve the lives of the people they care for.”
The Elevating Arm Sling (also called WingSlingTM) is designed for patients requiring ambulatory hand or wrist elevation following surgery or injury. The device securely elevates the hand above the heart with an ergonomically sound design and custom fit that can be worn comfortably for long periods of time. The design incorporates an innovative pulley system to raise and lower the arm while the forearm sleeve supports the wrist with minimal pressure points, while preserving full range of motion for digits of the elevated hand. The proprietary elbow pocket creates the desired angle and tucks the arm in close to the body. The padded cross body support minimizes neck strain. The design allows for ambidextrous use and is easily adjustable to fit most people. The device is available at CVS without a prescription, and will be coming soon to health systems across the U.S.
About The Innovation Institute & Innovation Lab
The Innovation Institute is an independent, for-profit LLC structured to cultivate innovative solutions to transform healthcare delivery. The Innovation Institute is owned by non-profit health systems. This collaborative taps into physicians, employees, and industry business partners to incubate and commercialize new medical products and ideas through its Innovation Lab. Comprised of three distinct elements – an innovation lab, an investment fund, and a shared services group (Enterprise Development Group), The Institute strives to “do more, with less, for more people.” For more information, visit www.ii4change.com
About Apothecary Products, LLC
Apothecary Products, LLC is a leading innovator, manufacturer, marketer, and supplier of simple self-care solutions, pharmacy supplies and wellness aids. With our Ezy Dose®, Ezy Dose Kids®, Ezy Dose Self Care®, and Flents® brands, Apothecary Products offers simple health and wellness solutions to consumers and healthcare professionals alike. The Apothecary team is focused on categories that make a difference in the lives of consumers, caregivers and the people that they care for: Medication Management, Eye and Ear Wellness, First Aid, and behind-the-counter Pharmacy Solutions. Apothecary Products offers both branded and private label solutions to our valued customers, including national and independent retail pharmacies, food, mass, and warehouse club retailers, as well as distributors and wholesalers worldwide.
Find more information about Apothecary Products, LLC at www.apothecaryproducts.com.
Media Contacts:
Francine Marlenée, 714.735.3767 or Francine.marlenee@ii4change.com
Jean Roskam, 952.890.1940 or jroskam@apothecaryproducts.com
