ConvaTec Donates $10,000 To AAWC Global Volunteers Program Through SAWC Walk For Wellness

ATLANTA, April 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ConvaTec, a world-leading developer and marketer of innovative medical technologies for community and hospital care, today announced that the company has donated $10,000 to the AAWC Global Volunteers program through the SAWC Walk for Wellness that took place at the 25th Annual Symposium on Advanced Wound Care and Wound Healing Society (SAWC/WHS) in Atlanta, Georgia from April 19 to April 22, 2012.

The Association for the Advancement of Wound Care (AAWC) is the largest, not-for-profit, multi-specialty organization in the United States dedicated to the research and clinical application of evidence-based wound care. AAWC exists to be the leader in interdisciplinary wound care and tissue preservation. The Walk for Wellness helped raise awareness of the AAWC Global Volunteers program and the need for ongoing education and training programs to promote access to proper wound treatment for the underserved in developing countries and North America.

"For the second year in a row, ConvaTec is supporting the important work of the AAWC Global Volunteers through the efforts of so many clinicians and nurses who joined in the SAWC Walk for Wellness fundraising effort," said Terry Treadwell, MD, FACS, AAWC Past President. "These funds will help us to continue to provide professional education programs in the areas of the world where they are most needed."

Conference participants were provided with pedometers that counted each step they took during the conference to raise money for AAWC. They were encouraged to engage in some physical activity while connecting with other wound care professionals. At the end of each day, participants logged in the number of steps they walked and could monitor their personal standing. 

"We are very pleased that so many of the men and women who attended SAWC/WHS participated in the Walk for Wellness again this year to help raise money to support the AAWC Global Alliance," stated Brad Barton, President of ConvaTec U.S. "The AAWC Global Volunteers program plays a vital role in expanding access to education and training for local healthcare professionals. We are honored to be able to support their work once again this year."

About AAWC Global Volunteers
AAWC Global Volunteers is an initiative dedicated to bringing the science of wound care to the underserved in developing countries and North America. It is supported by the volunteer leadership of AAWC Members, in partnership with Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO). The goal of these visits is twofold. The first goal is to present an outlined teaching curriculum to both the medical community and to the surrounding community. The second goal is to teach modern wound care, acting as educators in the clinical setting. The mission of the volunteer is to identify and train local health care personnel who can, in time, assume the role of training others. Visit www.aawconline.org for more information.

About the Symposium on Advanced Wound Care (SAWC) and Wound Healing Society (WHS)
The 25th Annual Symposium on Advanced Wound Care and Wound Healing Society Spring Meeting (SAWC/WHS Spring)  is regarded industry-wide as the premier educational wound care-focused program. From its humble beginning in 1988, when a small group of enterostomal (ET) nurses and physicians interested in this new discipline created a mission and vision to provide an interdisciplinary forum on wound care, the SAWC/WHS Spring meeting has grown to become the largest annual gathering of wound care clinicians, researchers and industry representatives in the United States.

This is the sixth year that the Wound Healing Society (WHS) will have their annual meeting in combination with SAWC Spring. Founded in 1989, WHS is recognized among professionals and government agencies as a leading scientific organization focused in this area of wound healing. Today, its membership consists of about 500 clinicians and scientists. The SAWC/WHS partnership reflects the need for clinicians to better understand the research and science behind wound management for optimal outcomes while underscoring the importance of proving medical necessity in an increasingly regulated healthcare world.

About ConvaTec
ConvaTec is a leading developer and marketer of innovative medical technologies that have helped improve the lives of millions of people worldwide. With four key focus areas – Ostomy Care, Wound Therapeutics, Continence and Critical Care, and Infusion Devices – ConvaTec products support healthcare professionals from the hospital to the community health setting. For more information, please visit www.convatec.com.

SOURCE ConvaTec