ARKRAY USA Launches the YouChoose(TM) Wellness Program

MINNEAPOLIS, March 9 /PRNewswire/ -- ARKRAY USA, Inc., a pioneer in the diabetes community, today introduced YouChoose™, an exclusive patient wellness program that provides a go-to source for information on diabetes care and management. The free program is from GLUCOCARD®, ARKRAY's innovative line of blood glucose monitoring devices.

Developed by a team led by a registered and licensed dietician, YouChoose is designed to help people better manage their diabetes through education, encouragement and healthy-living tools. The program includes online and offline support, including a comprehensive "Wellness Kit" that covers a variety of topics ranging from nutrition and recipes to activities and insulin levels. The program also features "Ask Mary," a virtual coach on the program's Web site who offers tips and support through a blog and quarterly newsletter.

"At ARKRAY, we are on a mission to build a care community that empowers people to effectively manage their diabetes," said Jonathan Chapman, president of ARKRAY USA. "The launch of YouChoose is a significant new way for us to fulfill that promise."

The patient wellness program is built around a robust Web site that collects and provides the best information available for managing diabetes. It is designed to be a lifestyle tool, offering resources such as access to a diabetes specialist, a calorie counter and dozens of articles, videos and recipes. Visitors also have access to in-licensed content from dLife™ and Diabetic Living as well as videos on reading food labels, shopping for groceries and making healthy eating and activity choices. And coming soon, the site will include opportunities for more robust interactivity, including peer-to-peer networking and idea sharing.

"There is a strong trend toward consumer directed health care that is encouraging patients to take charge of their health and manage their diabetes," said Chapman. "YouChoose makes it easy to do that by sharing simple lifestyle changes that, combined with tools such as our GLUCOCARD meters, all add up to a healthier individual."

To learn more about the YouChoose wellness program, please visit www.glucocardyouchoose.com.

About ARKRAY USA

ARKRAY, the world's 5th largest manufacturer of diabetes self-monitoring systems, has been a pioneer for nearly 50 years in the field of automated analysis from laboratory and point-of-care systems to home use patient self-testing systems. ARKRAY's primary focus throughout that time has been diabetes, developing the world's first hand held blood glucose meter (late 1960s) and the world's first HbA1c analyzer (1982). ARKRAY is one of the few diabetes testing companies in the U.S. market today that undertakes in-house each step of the development process to bring products to market. ARKRAY is among the leading medical device companies noted for their patent-based intellectual property by Patent Board (Wall Street Journal 6/17/08). For more information, visit www.arkrayusa.com.

Editor's Note: A high-resolution digital image of the YouChoose Wellness Kit is available by sending a request to Ayme Zemke at [email protected].

SOURCE ARKRAY USA, Inc.