AXIA Health Management Announces Three Key Appointments.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- National prevention leader adds chief medical officer, general counsel and senior VP of sales

AXIA Health Management LLC, a national leader in preventive health solutions, recently announced that it has appointed John C. Reed, M.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer; Douglas D. Byrd, Esq., senior vice president and general counsel; and Mary Anne Mason, senior vice president of sales.

These appointments are directly related to AXIA's July 2005 acquisition of American WholeHealth, which solidified AXIA as the most robust and complete national network of fitness centers, community-based CAM providers, and health and wellness programming resources in the nation. At that time, AXIA inherited a well-established national network of more than 30,000 practitioners in 35 or more CAM disciplines, including chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture, yoga, stress reduction, holistic medicine, and diet and nutrition.

"We are very pleased to have these three individuals join the AXIA management team," said AXIA President Hugh Lytle. "John, Doug and Mary Anne were instrumental in building American WholeHealth into one of the nation's leading providers of integrative health services, and we expect that their expertise will be a great contribution in our mission to establish AXIA as the nation's premier lifestyle management and disease prevention company."

Dr. Reed is a board-certified family physician and integrative medicine specialist and served as national medical director and vice president of medical affairs at American WholeHealth Networks Inc. since 1996. Dr. Reed has taught acupuncture for the UCLA Medical Acupuncture course since 1986, and developed the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture (AAMA) board exam and review course. He was an editor of the National Institute of Health's (NIH) Office of Alternative Medicine's document "Alternative Medicine: Expanding Medical Horizons" (1995). Dr. Reed received his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.

Byrd previously served as vice president and general counsel of American WholeHealth Networks Inc. Prior to joining AWH, he was a partner in the health care department of the international law firm McDermott, Will & Emery and with Sulloway & Hollis, PLLC, a large regional New England law firm, where he represented health care and business clients. Byrd holds a bachelor of science degree in business and economics, a master of health services administration from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., and a law degree from the New England School of Law, Boston.

Mason is a business development specialist with more than 20 years of experience in the health care industry and served as vice president of development for American WholeHealth Networks since 1997. She was previously director of business development for Caremark Physician Resources and regional vice president for Caremark Orthopedic Services. Mason is a graduate of the University of Kentucky.

About AXIA Health Management

Tempe, Ariz.-based AXIA Health Management is a national provider of high-yield prevention programs that strive to improve the health of individuals in specific population segments. AXIA provides comprehensive, integrated health management programs that prevent, delay or mitigate the effects of disease or injury. The cornerstone of AXIA's suite of products is the SilverSneakers(R) Fitness Program, a unique physical activity, lifestyle and socially oriented benefits program designed to encourage Medicare-eligible members to increase their levels of physical activity and motivate them to stay active. SilverSneakers is offered to more than 1.8 million Medicare-eligible individuals in 36 states at nearly 1,300 fitness centers and class sites. For more information, call 480-763-5222 or visit http://www.axiahealth.com.