Health eVillages raises nearly $50,000 to serve world's "healthcare deserts"

READING, Mass., Sept. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Health eVillages, a program founded by Donato Tramuto and Physicians Interactive in partnership with the not-for-profit Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights (RFK Center), raised nearly $50,000 at its Second Annual "Apps Save Lives" Golf Tournament in New Jersey.

The tournament was held on August 22^nd at the Royce Brook Golf Club in Hillsborough Township, New Jersey. It drew more than 40 participants, including industry leaders from several life science, healthcare, marketing and non-profit organizations.

Health eVillages provides iPod®, iPad® and other handheld devices equipped with specialized reference and clinical decision support tools to improve primary and preventive healthcare in underserved areas around the world – areas known as "healthcare deserts." Since its inception in 2011, Health eVillages has made a significant impact in improving access to critical, live-saving medical information for multiple programs in East Africa, the Caribbean, India, China and rural areas of Louisiana affected by the Gulf oil spill.

"I want to thank all those participating in the Apps Save Lives golf tournament and especially our corporate sponsors for continuing to demonstrate their tremendous commitment to Health eVillages," said Donato Tramuto, Founder of Health eVillages and Chairman of the Board and CEO of Physicians Interactive. "There was an exhilarating spirit in the air as everyone united to support Health eVillages' global mission to use mobile apps to help save lives and advance care delivery in underserved regions around the world."

Millions of people worldwide live in healthcare deserts, lacking access to basic healthcare services provided by a well-trained workforce. This situation can be dramatically altered through the sharing of critical, life-saving knowledge and training via mobile devices and apps that are already pervasive in developed nations. Since its founding in October 2011, Health eVillages has helped improve an estimated 50,000 patient interactions in healthcare deserts around the globe.

Physicians Interactive loads Health eVillage's devices with comprehensive, up-to-date, specialized medical reference content – including videos – and clinical decision support tools.  Clinicians trained on the tools in program locations access these invaluable resources to diagnose patients and decide on the best care options for their conditions based on the latest available knowledge in healthcare – all without needing Internet access.

The impact of having this knowledge at clinicians' fingertips has made an immediate and measurable impact: After receiving mobile devices from Health eVillages, the infant mortality rate in the healthcare desert surrounding Lwala, Kenya, was cut in half.

Health eVillages continues to expand its support around the world. In June 2014, construction began on a new Health eVillages Inpatient Ward in Lwala. This new space will provide 15 additional beds for patients, freeing up space within the maternity ward, which new mothers currently have to share with other patients.

Anyone interested in contributing money or devices to Health eVillages can do so through its website. Corporate sponsorships of Health eVillages are also available. For more information about corporate sponsorships, contact Merrill Press at [email protected].

About Health eVillages
Health eVillages, a program of the not-for-profit Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice & Human Rights and Physicians Interactive, provides state-of-the-art mobile health technology including medical reference and clinical decision support resources to medical professionals in the most challenging clinical environments around the world. For more information about Health eVillages, please visit http://www.healthevillages.org/.

About Physicians Interactive
Headquartered in Reading, MA, PI aspires to use the power of worldwide networks of healthcare professionals and life sciences companies together in ways that will change the practice and business of medicine for the better. PI's value proposition is to offer the life science industry a low-cost, virtual, multi-channel marketing approach that can be used to supplement currently promoted products, as well as non-promoted and orphaned products, that deliver benefits to physicians and patients. A key focus is providing services that fit into physicians' and healthcare professionals' daily workflow at the point-of-care when they make diagnosis, treatment and prescribing decisions. More information can be found at www.PhysiciansInteractive.com.

Media Contact:
Tim Boivin
Amendola Communications for Physicians Interactive
224.209.6495
[email protected]

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SOURCE Physicians Interactive