Needlestick Safety Alliance Announces Four New Members.

Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers

CARLSBAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 31, 2002

The National Alliance for the Primary Prevention of Sharps Injuries (NAPPSI), founded by Venetec International, today announced the addition of four new members:

-- Bard Access Systems Inc., a manufacturer of vascular access products;

-- Infection Control Today, a journal for infection control professionals;

-- The International Association of EMT's and Paramedics (IAEP), a union for employees in the emergency medical services field; and

-- The Association of Perioperative Registered Nurses (AORN), a leading healthcare professional organization.

"Having these organizations as members demonstrates NAPPSI's growing leadership position in sharps injury protection, as a prime force for improving workplace safety." said Steve Bierman, M.D., NAPPSI's founder and the CEO and medical director of Venetec International. "Bard Access Systems is a major medical manufacturer that has long been incorporating sharps safety features in its products. The readership of Infection Control Today and the memberships of IAEP and AORN represent vital constituencies that support NAPPSI's primary prevention message. Our organization's impact on healthcare has taken a big step forward with these new members on board."

NAPPSI is a non-profit organization dedicated to minimizing sharps injuries in the healthcare workplace. Based in Carlsbad, Calif., the organization promotes primary prevention as the first line of defense for accomplishing this goal. Primary prevention means utilizing technologies and practices that either reduce or eliminate the need to use sharp medical implements. In contrast, secondary prevention renders safer those sharps that must be introduced into the healthcare workplace. NAPPSI supports both approaches, especially when used in a complementary manner -- that is, using primary prevention where possible, and secondary prevention to fill in the gaps.

NAPPSI's membership encompasses professional associations, individual healthcare professionals and medical device makers. Membership is free to individual clinicians.

NAPPSI has recently petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the federal Occupation Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to disseminate the organization's Needlestick Safety Device List and its Clinician Advisory on healthcare worker safety.

About the new members:

-- Bard Access Systems Inc., a business unit of healthcare product manufacturer C. R. Bard Inc., offers nine vascular access product lines in more than 800 configurations to meet all vascular access needs. The company also provides comprehensive clinical, educational, and operational support to help institutions meet their specific needs in this area.

"Bard has been a leader in the vascular access market, including products with needlestick safety features," said Paul Blackburn, product manager for PICCS and Midlines. "Joining NAPPSI will help make people more aware of our products and our devotion to clinician safety issues."

For more information, access www.bardaccess.com or call 801/595-0700.

-- Infection Control Today is a comprehensive journal for healthcare practitioners who are responsible for purchasing and administering healthcare products in a clean and safe fashion. The journal reports on news, issues and trends that are important to the infection control community; covers best practices in infection control; and provides continuing education for professionals in the field.

"We joined NAPPSI to champion awareness and educate healthcare professionals about preventing one of the most common occupational health hazards," said ICT publisher Bill Eikost. "Our mission is to inform readers about new and upcoming technologies that can prevent these types of injuries and resulting infections, including the technologies NAPPSI advocates."

For more information, access www.infectioncontroltoday.com or call 480/990-1101.

-- IAEP, the fastest growing union in the United States, was established in 1992 to deal with job-related problems faced by emergency medical services workers. A division of the National Association of Government Employees, AFL-CIO, the union represents more than 200,000 members in 17 states and is currently organizing in 11 other states.

"One of the ways we try to improve the lives of our members is by improving the safety of their work environment, including reducing or eliminating sharps injury risk," said Matthew Levy, Eastern states coordinator of organizing. One of the most effective ways of accomplishing this is to educate the membership, which NAPPSI does through its e-mail newsletter and other communications to members."

For more information, access www.iaep.org or call 617/376-0220.

-- AORN supports registered nurses in achieving optimal outcomes for patients undergoing operative and other invasive procedures. The organization provides a variety of continuing education opportunities for more than 40,000 perioperative nurses in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

"AORN is a strong advocate for the safety of our members and that of the other members of the perioperative team," said Tom Cooper, AORN's executive director. "AORN launched a significant workplace safety initiative earlier this year to improve safety conditions in the surgical setting. Preventing sharps injuries is a significant component of this, and something that must be accomplished to ensure healthcare worker safety."

For more information, access www.aorn.org or call 800/755-2676.

NAPPSI utilizes its monthly e-mail newsletter, a national speaker's bureau, public relations, and other activities to inform the media, decision makers, and opinion leaders on the value of primary prevention practices and products. NAPPSI's Clinician Advisory is widely distributed to clinicians, including members of INS (Infusion Nurses Society), NAVAN (National Association of Vascular Access Networks), AACN (American Association of Critical Care Nurses), NARI (National Association of Residents and Interns); ANFIM (Association of Needle-Free Injection Manufacturers), HIDA (Health Industry Distributors Association) and CINA (Canadian Infusion Nurses Association). NAPPSI's Safety Device List, which lists products according to primary or secondary prevention attributes, is posted on the Web sites of the states of Tennessee and Alaska, INS, NARI, and NAVAN.

Other NAPPSI organizational members include:

-- Venetec International, www.Venetec.com, 800/833-3895;

-- Cell Robotics International (OTCBB:CRII),

www.CellRobotics.com, 505/343-1131;

-- Bioject Medical Technologies (Nasdaq:BJCT), www.Bioject.com,

503/639-7221;

-- ICU Medical (Nasdaq:ICUI), www.ICUmed.com, 800/824-7890;

-- ALARIS Medical Systems Inc. (AMEX:AMI), www.alarismed.com,

858/458-7000;

-- Equidyne Systems Inc. (AMEX:IJX), www.equidyne.com,

877/474-6539;

-- Calypte Biomedical Inc. (Nasdaq:CALY), www.Calypte.com,

877/CALYPTE (225-9783);

-- Arrow International (Nasdaq:ARRO), www.arrowintl.com,

800/233-3187;

-- B. Braun Medical, www.BBraunusa.com, 610/691-5400;

-- National Association of Residents and Interns,

www.NARI-assn.com, 800/221-2168, ext. 5;

-- D'Antonio Consultants International Inc.,

www.dantonioconsultants.com, 315/463-4999;

-- Helping Hands Sanctuary of Idaho Inc.,

www.healthcaretraining.org, 208/221-1611;

-- Association of Needle-Free Injection Manufacturers (ANIFM),

315/463-4999;

-- Health Industry Distributors Association (HIDA),

www.HIDAnetwork.com, 703/549-4432;

-- ETHICON Inc., www.EthiconInc.com;

-- Abbott Laboratories, www.abbotthosp.com, 800/222-6883;

-- The Association of Occupational Health Professionals in

Healthcare (AOHP), www.aohp.org, 412/749-7328;

-- BD Inc. (Becton Dickinson) (NYSE:BDX), www.bd.com,

201/847-6800;

-- The Infusion Nurses Society (INS), www.INS1.org,

-- The National Association of Vascular Access Networks (NAVAN),

www.navannet.org, 888/57-NAVAN (888/576-2826);

-- The American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN),

www.aacn.org, 800/899-2226;

-- Canadian Intravenous Nurses Association (CINA),

www.csotcina.com, 416/445-4516;

-- StickSafe LLC, www.sticksafe.com, 888/914-9600;

-- Phlebotomy West, www.phlebotomywest.com, 925/240-0770;

-- Cook Inc., www.cookgroup.com, 800/457-4500;

-- Portex Inc., www.portexusa.com, 603/352-3812;

-- TransDerm Technologies, www.transdermtech.com

www.transdermtech.com, 415/561-2550;

-- Hema Metrics Inc., www.hemametrics.com www.hemametrics.com,

800/546-5463

-- Antares Pharma, www.antarespharma.com www.antarespharma.com,

610/458 6200;

-- HDC Corp., www.hdccorp.com, 408/942-7340;

-- Porex Medical Products Inc. www.porex.com, 800/520-7999.

For NAPPSI membership and other information, call 858/350-8623, email [e-mail], or access www.NAPPSI.org.