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| SafeSmart, Inc.
Presents SafetyTies to Sixth Annual MedAssets Technology Forum |
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ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., Oct. 24, 2007 — Just last spring,
SafeSmart, Inc. launched SafetyTies, antimicrobial neckties that
reduce the spread of infectious diseases and food-borne illness.
Already, the medical marketplace is taking note of SafetyTies’
potential role in illness prevention, thanks to its participation in
the prestigious Sixth Annual MedAssets Technology Forum hosted in St.
Louis, October 2007.
Headquartered in Atlanta,
MedAssets improves healthcare providers’ margin and cash flow through
revenue cycle and supply-chain initiates. At its annual MedAssets
Technology Forum, committee members evaluate emerging technologies,
regardless of size or scope, and support improving patient care
through the development and availability of innovative products and
new medical technology. MedAssets invited SafeSmart to participate
because of its groundbreaking SafetyTies, which feature nano-treated
fibers that render the 100% silk stain-resistant, wrinkle-resistant
and, most important, resistant to bacteria.
“It’s amazing that just a little
over a year ago we were in the product development stages of creating
SafetyTies,” said April Strider, SafeSmart, Inc.’s co-founder.
“Clearly, we’ve hit upon a real need with this tie because the medical
community is realizing how it can help prevent the spread of illness
and disease simply by encouraging — or even requiring — those in this
field to wear a SafetyTie. This is significant because an estimated 2
million patients contract infections in hospitals and over 100,000 die
from them.”
While at this invitation-only
forum, SafeSmart, Inc. presented its product alongside 30 other
companies at the vendor fair. In this informal setting, approximately
300 MedAssets committee members were able to stop by the booth, see
live demonstrations, and learn firsthand about SafetyTies’ benefits.
“We felt extremely honored to
participate in this forum because it’s been an outstanding way to
raise awareness about SafetyTies,” Strider said. “This forum has been
an incredible experience, and an excellent opportunity to promote
SafetyTies and demonstrate their potential value to the
medical/healthcare communities, and especially the patients they
serve.”
About SafeSmart, Inc. After
hearing a 2006 report on NPR linking physicians’ neckties to disease
transmission, April Strider thought of her own kids and resolved to
reduce the spread of infection and disease through a unique product:
SafetyTies. Strider partnered with childhood friend Cindy Toole, and
together they founded SafeSmart, Inc. and launched SafetyTies to the
marketplace in early 2007. SafetyTies are 100% silk, come in 24
colors, and feature a protective barrier that blocks most dirt, stains
and bacteria. The ties are ideal for anyone who wears a tie and is
around children, as well as those who work in the medical/healthcare
industries, food service, education, business, etc.
For more information, visit
http://www.safesmartinc.com.
Contact:April Strider, Co-founder,
SafeSmart, Inc., 904.824.5670
April.strider@safesmartinc.com |
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| Independent Testing
Verifies SafetyTies Neckties' Antimicrobial Advantage for Healthcare
and Food Service Workers, St. Augustine, FL - August 15, 2007 |
| April Strider, co-founder
of SafeSmart, Inc., created the SafetyTies antimicrobial neckties with
the goal of reducing the spread of infectious disease and foodborne
illnesses in healthcare, hospitality and foodservice settings.
Now independent testing performed at BCS Laboratories, Inc., in
Gainesville, FL., proves that Strider's ties live up to those
expectations. Although neckties promote an
image of competence and professionalism in both the healthcare and
hospitality industries, it is extremely easy for the ties to come into
contact with food, patients, or hospital bedding, thereby picking up
infectious bacteria. In fact, a study presented by Dr. Steven
Nurkin at the American Society for Microbiology's May 2004 conference
found that doctors' neckties were eight times more likely to carry
bacteria and spread infections than ties worn by hospital workers who
did not have contact with patients.
When BCS submitted SafetyTies to microbiological
challenge experiments, the ties' nano-treated material repelled
bacterial contamination. In the tests, SafetyTies inoculated
with E. coli and Salmonella showed a greater than 99.99 percent
reduction in bacterial growth, as compared to regular 100% silk
neckties.
SafetyTies also underwent a bacterial challenge with
gram-positive bacilli. The ties' nano-treated silk fibers
repelled 98 percent of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and
99.5% of vancomycin-resistant enterococci, both hospital-associated
infections.
The Nurkin study found that one in four neckties
worn by hospital doctors carried Staphylococcus aureus. One in
eight harbored hospital-acquired bacteria, such as Klebsiella
pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Acinetobacter baumannii, and
47.6 percent harbored potential pathogens.
According to hospitalinfection.org, infections
contracted in hospitals are the fourth largest killer in America.
Every year, two million patients contract infections in hospitals and
an estimated 103,000 die. "This is not a minor issue,:" said
Strider.
"The spread of contamination is also prevalent in
the foodservice and hospitality industries," said Strider. "The
CDC estimates that foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million
illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United
States each year. Neckties tend to be an overlooked vector in
the effort to protect patients, guests, or employees. The
anti-microbial properties of SafetyTies address that oversight."
While SafetyTies are of great benefit to individuals in the healthcare
and hospitality industry, the neckties also have a broad appeal to the
general public, in particular their stain-resistance and water
repellency. "We have found SafetyTies appeal to a wide range of
professions, from educators to business professionals, most people
really appreciate having an all around more durable, longer lasting
necktie," said Strider.
SafetyTies neckties are 100 percent silk, are stain-
and wrinkle resistant, can be dry-cleaned and repel liquids like
coffee, water and wine. Testing also showed that SafetyTies are
completely safe for wearers, because the nano-coating stays on the
necktie instead of transferring to any other surfaces.
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Florida Times-Union April 19, 2007
Targeted to the medical world and beyond,
SafetyTies are coated with a germ-resistant shield |
The St. Augustine company is marketing a line of 24 necktie designs,
which are processed with an anti-microbial coating, under the banner
of SafetyTies.
Manufactured overseas, SafetyTies are coated with a microscopic
barrier that forms a Teflon-like resistance to germs that normally
nest in fabric fibers, according to April Strider, president and chief
executive officer of SafeSmart Inc.
There is some evidence to back Strider's assertion: During a 2004
American Society for Microbiology conference, researchers presented a
study measuring the amount of germs found on physicians' neckties,
said Jim Sliwa, a spokesman for the organization.
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The study, presented by Steve Nurkin of
the New York Hospital Medical Center in Queens, found that 47.6
percent of the neckties worn by clinicians harbor potential pathogens,
while one in eight neckties harbored well-known hospital-acquired
bacteria.
Meanwhile, neckties are among the least likely of apparel items to be
dry cleaned, according to Jay Calleja, director of communications for
International Fabricare Institute, a trade association for dry
cleaners. For one thing, the shape can become puckered and distorted
with dry cleaning and hefty stain removal can cause the colors to
bleed.
"I don't even think I've dry cleaned a tie myself," Calleja said. "And
because ties are not on the body, they're over clothes, I'm not sure
people feel the need."
The company is courting other industries outside the medical field as
well, such as restaurant and cruise ship businesses and plans to visit
different conferences (such as the American Culinary federation trade
show) to spread the word. On Wednesday, both Strider and Toole visited
Jacksonville hospital gift shops to chat with employees about the
products. Strider says there's nothing quite like the ties
available, save for some ties that are stain-resistant or covered with
Scotch Guard.
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SafeSmart, Inc. Introduces SafetyTies Antimicrobial Neckties
Company to give away 100 SafetyTies to leading physicians |
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla., March 7 /PRNewswire/ -- When April Strider heard a report on
NPR in February 2006 linking physicians' neckties to disease transmission, she thought
of her own kids -- and decided there must be a way to reduce the spread of infectious
disease in the clinical setting. Strider soon partnered with childhood friend Cindy
Toole to form SafeSmart, Inc. (http://www.safesmartinc.com). With today's release of
SafetyTies, SafeSmart, Inc. has built a better necktie.
Antimicrobial, stain-resistant and wrinkle-resistant, the 100% silk SafetyTies neckties
are manufactured using nanotechnology, a process that enables each individual fiber to
be sealed in a protective coating, rendering it stain-resistant and antimicrobial. The
process is done on a near- microscopic scale, allowing the fabric to retain the look
and feel of silk without looking or feeling stiff.
SafetyTies come in a wide variety of stylish patterns and colors and can even be customized
with an institution's logo woven right into the silk. Thanks to the nanotech manufacturing process, SafetyTies are actually more affordable than most 100% silk neckties available at upscale department stores.We designed SafetyTies for physicians, to aid in the reduction of healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs)," stated Strider, SafetyTies president and CEO. "Studies have shown that a significant percentage of physicians' neckties harbor and can transmit dangerous bacteria. In a climate where HCAIs are on the rise, and with the advent of 'super bugs' - new strains of infections resistant to traditional antibiotics – SafetyTies can be a powerful yet fashionable addition to the physician's clinical attire." To celebrate the launch of SafetyTies and to introduce physicians across the country to the benefits of SafetyTies, SafeSmart, Inc. has planned a 100- tie giveaway to prominent physicians in the field of infectious disease across the country. To learn more, visit http://www.safesmartinc.com or contact SafeSmart, Inc. at 904-824-5670.Contact: April Strider SafeSmart, Inc. Tel: 904-824-5670 april.strider@safesmartinc.com |
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SafetyTies and the SafeSmart Logo are trademarks of SafeSmart, Inc. |
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