Press Releases

December 2, 2009
FXI TAPS INDUSTRY EXPERTS FOR NEW HEALTHCARE ADVISORY BOARD

MEDIA, PA – December 2, 2009 – FXI Foamex Innovations, the Philadelphia area-based foam innovations company, announced today that it has tapped some of the nation’s leading experts in wound care to form a new healthcare advisory board for the Company. The board’s role will be to help align the very latest in wound care clinical practices with FXI technology and product solutions.

The board consists of chairperson, Michel Hermans, M.D., president, Hermans Consulting Inc., as well as committee members Jeffrey A. Niezgoda, M.D., FACHM, FAPWCA, FACEP, medical director, Centers for Comprehensive Wound Care & Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Aurora Health Care; Steve Reger, Ph.D, CP, Cleveland Medical Foundation; and Arthur Stone, DO, president, MedNexus Inc.

“The healthcare market is a key pillar of our growth strategy at FXI, and we are committed to bringing innovative solutions to this segment that can enhance patient care and maximize facility operations,” said Alvaro Vaselli, FXI’s Senior Vice President, Foam Products Business Management. “The creation of the healthcare advisory board is simply another way for us to ensure that our products are directly connected to solving the problems that clinicians, nurses, physician practices, hospitals and nursing facilities face in terms of wound care and pressure ulcers,” he added. “Our members have extensive experience and leadership in this field, and we know they will bring significant value to our processes.”

One of FXI’s recent innovative solutions for the healthcare market is its BodyZone line of support surfaces. BodyZone offers a new solution for pressure ulcer prevention and treatment and helps achieve an optimum level in patient care. With its signature approach of using the most advanced technology and engineering in the industry, FXI developed Bodyzone to reduce the clinical occurrence of pressure ulcers that can result from long-term bed care. In independent testing, the BodyZone support surfaces demonstrated superior performance over other brands by minimizing pressure, heat, moisture, friction and shear – the factors that lead to dermal and tissue breakdown.

In addition to Bodyzone, FXI is using its expertise and technologies to improve healthcare solutions through the use of foam. Some other FXI growth initiatives in the medical arena include advanced wound care dressings, foam reservoir technology for pre-surgical skin preparation, blood filtration, EKG padding, and radio translucent polyurethane cushioning for diagnostic x-ray imaging.

In addition to Bodyzone, FXI is using its expertise and technologies to improve healthcare solutions through the use of foam. Some other FXI growth initiatives in the medical arena include advanced wound care dressings, foam reservoir technology for pre-surgical skin preparation, blood filtration, EKG padding, and radio translucent polyurethane cushioning for diagnostic x-ray imaging.

FXI’s healthcare advisory board members gathered for their initial meeting recently in San Antonio to concur with the Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin & Wound Care. The advisory board members include:

Michel Hermans, M.D.

Dr. Hermans is the president and founder of Hermans Consulting. He has extensive experience in general surgery, burn care and general wound and ulcer care and also has experience implementing clinical trials and with media marketing in the United States and Europe. Having worked in all geographic regions of the world, Dr. Hermans has published more than 140 articles and posters and has given more than 450 lectures on burn, wound and ulcer care. Dr. Hermans is a member of 12 international professional organizations, including the New York Society of Science.

Jeffrey A. Niezgoda, M.D.

Dr. Niezgoda is a recognized wound care expert and has served as faculty at both national as well as international conferences. He is currently medical director of The Centers for Comprehensive Wound Care and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, St. Luke’s Center, Aurora Health Care, in Milwaukee. He is also the president and chief operating officer of Hyperbaric & Wound Care Associates in Southeastern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois and is president of the American College of Hyperbaric Medicine. Dr. Niezgoda is Board Certified in Hyperbaric Medicine and Wound Care and has participated on multiple Expert Consensus Panels. He has also appeared before Medicare and Medicaid Services as a wound care consultant.

Steve Reger

Dr. Reger is a biomedical engineer and a certified prosthetist on the staff at the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at The Cleveland Clinic. He has worked in rehabilitation engineering research and clinical work for the support and mobility of disabled individuals for more than 30 years. His clinical work has focused on prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers using sitting and body support surfaces. He has co-authored clinical practice guidelines on the “Treatment of Pressure Ulcers” and “Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Treatment Following Spinal Cord Injury: A Clinical Practice Guideline for Healthcare Professionals.” He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel and an author or co-author of more than 200 scientific publications. In addition, Dr. Reger has five patents in the areas of custom contoured seating fabrication and operating room support surfaces to aid in the prevention of pressure ulcers.

Arthur Stone, M.D

Dr. Stone is a healthcare industry leader and consultant who has practiced podiatry for more than 40 years. For more than 15 of those years, he has consulted and shared best practices and cutting-edge healing procedures in skilled nursing facilities and assisted living facilities throughout South Carolina. He is also the founder and president of MedNexus, Inc., a consulting company that “connects healthcare and business” by linking product development, sales and marketing, and the clinical aspects of a program together for successful launches and rollouts. Dr. Stone is a noted speaker and regularly presents at conferences across the country. He serves as an Advisory Board Member of Extended Care Products News and SORIM LTC.