iVillage Prescribes New Health Site for the Modern Woman

The Most Comprehensive Site Designed for Women to Manage All Their Health Needs in One Place

NEW YORK, March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- iVillage today announced the launch of its new Health site (www.ivillage.com/Health), the first women's destination on the Web that combines medical expertise and original health content with community conversations and interactive tools, to help women manage their health needs online. The launch is the fourth in a series of successful debuts, including iVillage's new Entertainment, Food and Astrology sites, and is part of the site-wide redesign, which kicked off in September. The announcement was made by Jodi Kahn, Executive Vice President, iVillage.

"Women make 75% of healthcare decisions, and the majority of those women are consulting the Internet for health information," said Kahn. "As the only online health site designed specifically for women, iVillage Health caters to the chief healthcare decision maker in every household. It's a unique destination that brings women together – where they can share experiences with others just like them, and access tools and expert advice to manage their health needs in one convenient place."

GE will be the launch sponsor for the site, as part of its Healthymagination initiative, which seeks to provide better health for more people through technology and innovation.

Community:

The site features one of the largest health communities online, with hundreds of health-themed community message boards on topics ranging from weight loss to kids' nutrition to breast cancer to birth control to medical tests to the effects of vaccines. Women can directly ask the community as well as medical experts for health tips, and anonymously share experiences with others in similar situations.  iVillage Health will also offer users the unique opportunity to engage in community health challenges, which typically galvanize close to one hundred thousand community members around a common goal, and allow women to support one another as they strive for results.

Content:

Jennifer Barrett, iVillage's newly appointed health editor, who recently joined from Newsweek, will oversee all content on the site. Contributing some wellness content, including Q&As from leading physicians, is world-renowned hospital,  Cleveland Clinic.  Through a new partnership with Healthwise, a top health information resource, the site will cover 8000 + topics and conditions. iVillage Health will also benefit from broad access to NBC Universal's wide array of health programming and experts, including content from NBC's hit shows, "The Biggest Loser" and Oxygen's "Dance Your Ass Off."

Tools:

More than a dozen new digital tools will be integrated throughout the content and conversations, providing women with a modern, multi-faceted approach to maintaining a healthy family. "The Care Circle," an exclusive, one-of-a-kind tool, will allow women to create a customized health profile for themselves and everyone they care about—tracking individual health needs and goals, as well as relevant news stories and medical alerts.  Additional tools include an exclusive "Beyond BMI" tool, which provides a personalized health assessment, a drug lookup, a symptom checker, an alternative treatment finder, and fitness and calorie trackers.

Experts:

An impressive roster of top-notch medical experts will offer tips and advice on a regular basis, including best-selling author Dr. Michael F. Roizen of Cleveland Clinic; author, professor and "Today" show nutrition expert Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom, PhD.; psychiatrist and "Today" show contributor, Dr. Gail Saltz, M.D.; well-known dermatologist and book author, Dr. Doris Day, M.D., and celebrity fitness trainer and nutritionist Jeanette Jenkins.

Coming soon:

iVillage will continue its relaunch with next month's Pregnancy & Parenting debut, followed by Beauty & Style in early summer.

About iVillage

With approximately 30 million unique visitors per month, iVillage is the content-driven community for women on the web, where they can find the most meaningful content, real-life conversations and the tools they need for their busy lives. The site focuses on categories that best serve women's needs, including Food, Health, Entertainment, Family, Beauty & Style. Additional businesses and brand extensions within iVillage Networks include iVillage UK, NBC Digital Health Network, Astrology.com and GardenWeb. In addition, iVillage enjoys a strategic partnership with BlogHer, the leading participatory news, entertainment and information network for women online. iVillage Inc., acquired by NBC Universal, Inc. in May 2006, is based in New York City, and is part of the NBC Universal Women & Lifestyle Entertainment Networks Group. Join our Facebook Group: www.facebook.com/ivillage. Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ivillage.

SOURCE iVillage