DALLAS, June 28, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Good vision is a basic human right, but one in four schoolchildren in the U.S. has an undetected and untreated vision problem that can affect learning. The OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation partners with eye doctors around the country to help children in need see clearly so they can be successful in school and in life. To reach more students, this year the Foundation is encouraging eye doctors to 'Adopt-A-School' locally and enroll in Changing Life through Lenses® (CLTL). This program provides a complete pair of glasses including lenses, frames and lab services for patients in need at no cost to the practice or the patient. 

Clear vision is critical for everyone

Eye doctors can use the Changing Life through Lenses program to provide free glasses to adults and children in need. Vision correction is especially important for kids — school-age children with an uncorrected vision problem can do worse in school and suffer from lower self-esteem than their peers who don't have vision impairments. To help bridge this gap, the Foundation suggests that eye doctors contact Title 1 schools to 'Adopt-A-School' in their community as these schools have a high number of low-income students who may not be able to access vision care. The Changing Life through Lenses website has resources eye doctors can use to identify and contact schools in their area. Optometrists can also rent portable exam equipment through CLTL to provide eye exams outside of their practice. 

"I had a student who received glasses from the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation," school nurse Verby Nash shares. "When she got them, she was smiling and in awe of what she could see. She described everything she had been missing all this time. Kids with vision issues start to accommodate and they don't realize what they are missing until they have an eye exam and get glasses."

Filling a need in the U.S. and around the world 

In the U.S., there are people in need around the country whose lives can be changed with a pair of glasses. Eye doctors who provide charitable vision care services are called to be that change. Changing Life Through Lenses makes it easy for doctors to start or increase their charitable activities to make a difference in their community. Eye doctors in the U.S. who pledge to provide vision care through the CLTL 'Adopt-A-School' program may also be invited to participate in a Foundation-led vision clinic. 

"Our Changing Life Through Lenses 'Adopt-A-School' campaign equips eye doctors across the U.S. to support underserved students in their own communities," said Becky Palm, Executive Director, OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation North America. "We're inspired by the generous doctors who work to ensure vision care is accessible to local patients in need, and it's our goal to amplify their charitable work by providing free glasses to the individuals they help."

Around the world, uncorrected poor vision affects 2.7 billion people and 90% of them live in developing communities. Thanks to EssilorLuxottica's commitment to helping eliminate uncorrected poor vision in a generation, the global Foundation has eight regional affiliates in Africa, ASEAN, Europe, Greater China, India, Italy, North America and Oceania that are dedicated to this mission. Since 2013, the Foundation has had a tremendous impact worldwide, providing 623 million people with access to sustainable vision care and helping correct and/or protect the vision of 61 million people. Additionally, OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation is a founding partner of 'One School at a Time,' a program of 'Berkeley Vision - Every Child Sees.' 

To register for Changing Life Through Lenses and pledge to 'Adopt-A-School,' visit  www.changinglifethroughlenses.org. To learn more about the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation's global impact, visit https://onesight.essilorluxottica.com/. 

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About the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation 

The North America affiliate of the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, registered in the United States. This regional affiliate supports the goals of the OneSight EssilorLuxottica Foundation, a French registered charitable organization (endowment fund) reflecting the commitment and values of EssilorLuxottica to contribute to eliminating uncorrected poor vision in a generation. It is headquartered at 147 rue de Paris, 94220 Charenton-Le-Pont, France.  https://onesight.essilorluxottica.com/ 

CHICAGO, June 28, 2023 (Newswire.com) - First Stop Health (FSH), a leading virtual care company for primary, urgent and mental health care needs, today announced its recognition in Crain's Chicago Business Fast 50 2023. This honor recognizes Chicago's fastest-growing companies with rapid growth over a five-year period.  

"We have grown in more ways than one: Our talent, services, and the number of memorable patient experiences and meaningful outcomes. This achievement by Crain's has taken years of hard work and focus, and I'm delighted to see our dedicated team be recognized," said Teira Gunlock, CEO of First Stop Health. "To me, growth means that more people get to experience healthcare that they love," added Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Growth Officer, Elena Gambon. 

Crain's Chicago Business Fast 50 highlights leaders and innovators across various industries. Those recognized experienced an impressive median 793% growth in the last five years, up from 593% in 2022. Exceptional growth during a pandemic and organic growth were among the considerations when selecting these businesses.  

First Stop Health is honored to be a part of this incredible class of other Chicago-based businesses. It experienced 828% growth in the last five years, and this recognition signifies a time of momentous growth for the business. First Stop Health last week announced a new investing partner that will aid in ongoing enhancements and development of its virtual care solutions. Through this growth and new partnership, First Stop Health will continue to evolve with a continued commitment to providing care that people love.® 

About First Stop Health 

First Stop Health (FSH) provides care that people love with various digital healthcare services. Patients can access virtual care 24/7 via app, website or phone. We help them save time and money with safe, convenient, high-quality virtual care solutions - Primary Care, Urgent Care & Mental Health. FSH was named one of Inc. Magazine's Best Workplaces of 2022 and 2023 and ranked one of the fastest-growing private companies for the past five years by Inc. 5000.   

Antares Vision Group with rfxcel now on the GSA MAS contracting platform.
Antares Vision Group with rfxcel is now on the GSA MAS contracting platform.

PENSACOLA, Fla., June 28, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Antares Vision Group, through rfxcel, a leading provider of supply chain traceability and compliance solutions, has been awarded a spot on the General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) contract. With partner Lovell Government Services ('Lovell'), this significant achievement demonstrates the companies' commitment to federal and state government entities that operate pharmacies and the patients they serve. 

The Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA) is designed to improve the safety and security of the drug supply chain in the United States by rapidly detecting and removing harmful drugs. It requires manufacturers, distributors, dispensers (i.e., pharmacies and health systems), and other entities to track, trace, and verify certain medicines as they are received and dispensed. 

Through its partnership with Lovell, rfxcel is the first DSCSA compliance software provider to be awarded a spot on the GSA MAS contract, a procurement vehicle for government agencies to purchase goods and services from pre-approved vendors. rfxcel's DSCSA solution for government dispensers is already in use by the Ohio Department of Veterans Affairs.

"Listing on the GSA MAS contract through Lovell is a win-win for everyone," said rfxcel Vice President of Government Services, Greg Moulthrop. "First, it protects patients who use government pharmacies. But it also enables government agencies to easily and efficiently purchase our DSCSA compliance software solutions and gives government customers the dual benefit of complying with the DSCSA while working toward their SDVOSB procurement goals."

"We are excited to partner with Antares Vision Group, through rfxcel, on this initiative," said Chris Lovell, CEO of Lovell Government Services. "rfxcel has made it their mission to help federal pharmacies meet DSCSA compliance requirements by November 2023 and Lovell is honored to play a part in it. DSCSA isn't just about protecting the supply chain, it is also about protecting patients."

For more information, contact rfxcel Senior Government Affairs Advisor, Kevin Smith, at [email protected] or 563-590-9408.

About Antares Vision Group & rfxcel

Antares Vision Group, through rfxcel, is a leading provider of supply chain traceability and compliance solutions. The company's mission is to deliver value to its customers through a comprehensive suite of software solutions that ensure supply chain integrity, visibility, and regulatory compliance. rfxcel's solutions have been used by leading companies in industries such as pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and consumer goods. Learn more here. 

About Lovell Government Services

Lovell Government Services is a trusted government vendor since 2013 with a proven track record of success. Lovell is a two-time Inc. 5000 honoree and leader in the federal space. They partner with medical and pharmaceutical companies looking to better serve veteran and military patient populations, increase their federal revenue, and win government contracts. Click here to learn more.

ROSWELL, Ga., June 28, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Established in 1997, Second Wind Dreams is the first organization to focus on granting dreams for elders living in long-term care in the United States. An internationally-known nonprofit organization created to change the perception of aging through fulfilling elders' dreams and offering educational programs, such as the Virtual Dementia Tour, to help caregivers understand the physical and mental challenges facing those with dementia.

Second Wind Dreams is expanding our commitment to "Changing the Perception of Aging" by launching the Hospital Virtual Dementia Tour. The goals of the Hosptial Virtual Dementia Tour are to reduce stressful interactions between hospital staff and patients, decrease inappropriate interventions such as the use of psychotropic medications and restraints, improve staff efficiency and satisfaction, improve family and patient satisfaction, and shorten lengths of stay and consequent secondary issues. This, in turn, should result in significant cost savings to the hospital and lower the number of incident reports. Once they have walked in the shoes of a person with dementia, staff state that they will be more patient, understanding, and more sensitive to what is going on around the patient.

The Hospital Virtual Dementia Tour is designed to be conducted in your hospital or emergency department for all of your staff with tasks that are typical of what is asked of patients. This proven, evidence-based training is available for your hospital to purchase and conduct internally or offered by our Specialized Virtual Dementia Tour Certified Trainers.

NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 28, 2023 (Newswire.com) - Infusense Corporation, a Nashville-based medical device company, has been granted a $1 million Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The funding will drive the development and FDA approval of HemaSense™, a platform designed to rapidly detect and measure fentanyl levels in opioid overdose patients within minutes using just a single drop of blood. Dr. Marcin Guzinski, Director of Engineering at Infusense, will lead the two-year project. 

This Phase II grant follows Infusense's prior award of a $253,000 NSF SBIR Phase I grant, which demonstrated the potential of their technology for novel point-of-care drug toxicity applications.

According to recent federal data, opioid drug overdose deaths in the United States reached a record high of 109,680 in 2022. Over two-thirds of these deaths involved synthetic opioids, including fentanyl. Currently, assessing real-time fentanyl concentration requires sending a venous blood draw to a specialized lab, a time-consuming process that can take hours.

"If brought to market, HemaSense will provide emergency physicians with an innovative tool to rapidly determine fentanyl presence and concentration, improving overdose outcomes and informing acute management in the ER setting," said Eric Kriegstein, CEO of Infusense Corp. "Support from the NSF will accelerate the transition of our platform from the lab to FDA-approval and commercialization."

About Infusense Corp.

Infusense is an early-stage biomedical device company focused on building a rapid, point-of-care diagnostic platform for the detection and quantification of lipophilic drugs using electrochemistry. For more information, please visit www.infusense.com.

About the National Science Foundation (NSF)

The National Science Foundation (NSF) powers America's Seed Fund, providing $200 million in annual awards to startups and small businesses. The fund transforms scientific discoveries into products and services with commercial and societal impact. To learn more about the NSF SBIR/STTR program, visit seedfund.nsf.gov.

Editor's Note: Research reported in this publication is being supported by the National Science Foundation under Award Number 2309437. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Science Foundation.