Hygenic Corporation Acquires Performance Health
The Hygenic Corporation recently announced that it has acquired Performance Health, Inc., uniting two of the most recognizable brands in the health care industry - Thera-Band and Biofreeze.
Commenting on the business decision, Chris Cox, Craig Cox and Perry Isenberg, owners of Performance Health, said they are "excited about this business combination and believe it offers the additional scale and resources to accelerate the development of new products and continue to serve the healthcare community."
"We are committed to serving healthcare and wellness practitioners by expanding our product offering in strategically important categories," added Earl DeCarli, president/COO of Hygenic. "The combination of Biofreeze and Thera-Band provides Hygenic a unique platform for enhancing today's products as well as delivering innovative solutions for the future."
The Hygenic Corporation, owned by Baird Capital Partners, American Capital Strategies, Beecken Petty O'Keefe and Company, and management, is headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Performance Health is headquartered in Export, Pa.
Cleveland Chiropractic College Partners With Venice Family Clinic
The largest free health care clinic in the United States, The Venice Family Clinic (VFC), recently held the grand opening of the Simms/Mann Health and Wellness Center in Santa Monica, Calif. The center now offers chiropractic and complementary and alternative health care for the working poor and uninsured via a partnership with Cleveland Chiropractic College - Los Angeles (CCCLA).
Currently, an estimated 2,300 people, 462 of whom are physicians, donate their time at the VFC. The new center features a multidisciplinary Chronic Pain Clinic; chiropractic care is offered in conjunction with acupuncture, osteopathic manipulation and traditional Chinese medicine. As many as 18 supervised interns from the CCCLA will treat patients free of charge during the next year.
"Thanks to the vision and generous gift from Vicky and Ron Simms and their family foundation, the Chronic Pain Clinic component at this center provides a unique opportunity to train and educate clinicians, medical staff and residents on the role of chiropractic care as part of this integrative approach to patient care," enthused Dr. Carl S. Cleveland III, president of Cleveland Chiropractic College (Los Angeles and Kansas City).
DOT Physicals - An Opportunity for Chiropractors
According to the ACA Council on Occupational Health, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is recruiting chiropractors and members of the four other groups authorized by the agency to perform medical examinations (medical doctors, osteopaths, advanced practice nurses, and physician assist-ants) to help develop the proposed National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners (NRCME) program. Once established, the registry will provide a list of certified medical examiners available to perform Department of Transportation (DOT) physicals.
Medical examiners will be required to complete training and pass a certification test to be included in the registry. The FMCSA has commissioned a study to ensure that the training and certification test allow for the comprehensive medical examination of commercial motor vehicle drivers.
The FMCSA estimates that initially, approximately 50,000 medical examiners need to be trained and certified. It is projected that the national registry (NRCME) will be in place for training and certification of medical examiners by late 2007. How many will be chiropractors? If you have performed at least one commercial driver's license (CDL) physical on a driver, visit www.nrcme.fmcsa.dot.gov and volunteer to review the survey instrument that will determine the required training. If you have not yet performed a CDL physical, starting now will put you at an advantage once training becomes mandatory. For more information, contact the ACA Council on Occupational Health at www.acacoh.com or e-mail Mike Megehee, DC, at
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Note: Dr. Leo Kenney provided background on this topic in the March 26, 2006 issue. Please read "DOT Physical Examinations: Defending What We Have" online at www.chiroweb.com/archives/24/07/09.html.
Riekeman Elected to CCE Board
Guy F. Riekeman, DC, president of Life University, was recently elected to the 13-member board of directors of the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE). This is the first time in the university's history that a Life representative has been chosen to serve on the board.
"The entire Life University community is immensely proud of President Riekeman's election and confident he will be an invaluable asset to the CCE Board," commented Chuck Ribley, DC, chair of the Life Board of Trustees. "It is an honor to have Life University and its commitment to vitalistic education represented on this important body and to witness the confidence Dr. Riekeman's peers have in his steadfast commitment to the accreditation process and his unwavering dedication to upholding the highest standards of education and governance."
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