Invacare Connects

The 2011 World Team Cup now taking place in South Africa

South Africa is the first African country to host the wheelchair tennis World Team Cup (WTC). This is the  27th edition of the competition, run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

The WTC runs from Sunday, 24 April to Sunday, 1 May on the hard courts of the University of Pretoria.

WTC is the largest world tennis tournament for disabled players and this prestigious event is often referred to as "The Davis Cup" for disabled tennis players. The initial event took place in California in 1985 involving six men's teams. The World Team Cup has continued to grow with 330 of the world's top wheelchair tennis players from 44 countries and now also includes women, quad and junior competitions. Invacare has been the title sponsor of this competition for 16 years.

 

Invacare Launches ‘Real Life’ Campaign

Today marks the launch of the ‘Real Life,’ a campaign dedicated to raising awareness of the everyday struggles and achievements of those living with disabilities, ailments or advancing age. For these individuals, even “ordinary” tasks like getting dressed, preparing for the day ahead, caring for children, driving a car or going to work can require extraordinary effort — yet few people are aware of these everyday struggles and achievements.

Invacare has created this awareness campaign and platform to provide a place to share these stories. Take a moment to share your Real Life story or the story of someone who inspires you by uploading a video or photo at www.invacare.com/reallife. Three stories will be chosen to win $3,000 for themselves and $6,000 for the charity of their choice.

For more information about the Real Life campaign, visit:www.invacare.com/reallife.

Follow the campaign:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/invacarecorporation

Flickr: www.flickr.com/groups/invacarereallife

YouTube: www.youtube.com/invacarereallife

  

Invacare to Sponsor International Lisbon Half Marathon

Welcome to Lisbon… Invacare will sponsor the Annual International Lisbon Half Marathon, held on March 20, 2011 in Lisbon, Portugal. The half marathon will include a wheelchair competition which is only open to professional athletes.

The spectacular suspension bridge and the friendly and popular spirit of the event attract an increasing number of entrants. 30,000 entrants from 43 countries are expected, with some of the world’s best athletes in the half marathon distance. The best result ever realized in Lisbon, and the current World Record stands at 58’23.” In the wheelchair competition, Heinz Frei, a Swiss Paralympic athlete and winner of 105 international marathons throughout his career, achieved the best time of 40’30’’. What will this year bring?

Photo by Creative Commons.   http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Invacare Assists Queensland, Australia, Recovery Effort

Invacare responds to the recent flooding in Queensland, Australia, with an outpouring of support. After the worst cyclone in the country’s history hit the already flood-ravaged Queensland in early February, Invacare Australia worked with a local charity in East Brisbane, the Lions Club, to donate 100 mattresses with free transportation to those in need. Invacare Australia is also collecting staff donations and will be matching these donations dollar for dollar. For information on how you can help, visit http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html.

 

Invacare to Sponsor Wheelchair Tennis Doubles Masters

Invacare is continuing its sponsorship of wheelchair tennis for a 17th successive year by becoming title sponsor of the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) year-end Doubles Masters event in a two-year deal. The 2011 Invacare Doubles Masters will be held in Amsterdam on November 2-6.
    
The Invacare Doubles Masters is the ITF’s flagship wheelchair tennis doubles event. First staged in 2000, the season-ending event currently features the world’s top eight men’s doubles pairs, and the top four women and quad doubles pairs. Women’s world No. 1 Esther Vergeer has been the most successful competitor, sharing the women’s title on eight occasions.
 
Invacare Corporation was previously title sponsor of the World Team Cup between 1996 and 2010. The European team of Invacare Corporation has overseen its wheelchair tennis sponsorship since 2008, since when the company has increased its on-site involvement and operational support behind the scenes.     
 
During the 2011 Invacare Doubles Masters, the European team of Invacare Corporation will continue to host the successful international wheelchair tennis symposium that has been held during the World Team Cup for the past three years. The symposium is a public seminar that features a variety of guest speakers from wheelchair sport and various medical experts.

 
Stephane Houdet and Robin Ammerlaan during the 2010 Men's final. Photo by Emanuele Broli.

Invacare to Host Conference Call to Discuss Q4 2010 Results

Invacare (NYSE:IVC) will release its financial results for the fourth quarter 2010 before the market opens on Thursday, February 3, 2011.  The Company will sponsor a conference call for investors and other interested parties on Thursday, February 3, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET to discuss the Company’s performance. 

Those wishing to participate in the live call should dial 1-888-498-8379, or +1-706-679-5239 for international callers, and enter meeting ID 38757671.

A digital recording will be available two hours after completion of the conference call from February 3, 2011 to February 10, 2011.  To access the recording, US/Canada callers should dial 1-800-642-1687 or +1-706-645-9291 for international callers, and enter the Conference ID 38757671.

Invacare Joins Unprecedented Cleveland Medical Mart

Invacare announced today that it will be bringing its history of healthcare innovation to the first-of-its-kind Medical Mart project in Cleveland, Ohio. The Company has signed a letter of intent (LOI) to join the project and the partnership was formally announced during ceremonial groundbreaking festivities today.

Mal Mixon, chairman of the board at Invacare, had this to say. “Invacare is the global leader in the home and long-term care industries. We are proud to be a healthcare company based in Cleveland, Ohio, and there is no better way to show our dedication to the city and the healthcare industry than to give our support to the Medical Mart.”   

Slated to open in 2013, the Cleveland Medical Mart will be the world’s only facility targeted specifically to the medical and healthcare industries. Invacare will use the Medical Mart to highlight the value of home healthcare. Home care is the trifecta of healthcare: it is patient preferred (everyone dreams of going home), has better clinical outcomes and is more cost-effective than institutional care.

The Medical Mart is part of a larger downtown Cleveland development plan, which will also include a new tradeshow facility and conference center. For more information on the Medical Mart and adjoining projects, visit http://www.clevelandmedicalmart.com/.

 
 

Home Care as a Choice for All

Home health care is the trifecta of health care – it is patient preferred, has better clinical outcomes and is more cost-effective than institutional care. Invacare has long been a proponent of home health care, and states are slowly starting to follow suit. NPR has a great article on how choice in long-term care for those with disabilities is a civil right. Read the article here.  

Gerald B. Blouch to Assume CEO Responsibilities in 2011

Gerald B. Blouch will be named President and Chief Executive Officer effective January 1, 2011, after serving as interim Chief Executive Officer since April 30, 2010. Blouch joined Invacare in 1990 as the Company’s first chief financial officer. In 1994, he became chief operating officer and was responsible for the operations of all domestic and international business units. He was named president and a director of the Company in 1996.

Mal Mixon will continue to act as Chairman of the Board where he will focus on government relations, strategic issues and research and product innovation.

A press release with more detail is available here.

 

CMS Announces Contractors in Round 1 Bid Areas

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) held a conference call for the media this yesterday afternoon and announced that it has finalized and posted the names of the competitive bid program contractors in the first round of the competitive bid program.  The lists of contractors in each of the 9 bid areas can be found here.