Tamarack Partners with Global Hydration for ENGO Blister Patch Expansion in Canada

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Minneapolis, MN USA – January 13, 2016) Tamarack Habilitation Technologies, Inc. is delighted to announce a new wholesale distribution agreement for the company’s ENGO® Blister Prevention Patch product line with Global Hydration Water Treatment Systems, Inc. (Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada). Starting January 2016, Global Hydration will begin distributing ENGO® Blister Prevention Patches to specialty retail dealers across Canada while also promoting through Amazon Canada and its own consumer-focused subsidiary Elua (www.elua.com).

A unique product within the blister care category, ENGO® Blister Prevention Patches are an ultra-thin, low friction patch that applies directly to footwear wherever hot spots, blisters, and calluses occur. The long-lasting patches feature a durable adhesive that applies to casual, athletic, and dress shoes, boots, skates, and sports equipment. Unlike traditional blister patches that apply directly to the skin, ENGO® addresses friction at the source (the shoe lining) for immediate relief and lasting protection.

The expansion of ENGO® Blister Prevention Patches by Global Hydration in Canada follows a similar model of successful market expansion efforts with companies in Australia, Denmark, South Africa, and the UK, where strategic partners have established their own specialty retail network and ecommerce businesses.

About Tamarack Habilitation Technologies

Based in Blaine, Minnesota, Tamarack Habilitation Technologies, Inc. is a med-tech product development and manufacturing company specializing in strategic friction management technologies, ankle-foot biomechanics and wheelchair seating. As manufacturer of the renowned “Tamarack Flexure Joint®” for custom-fabricated orthoses, Tamarack distributes its products worldwide in the orthotic & prosthetic, durable medical equipment, athletic apparel, and consumer markets.

For more information about Tamarack Habilitation Technologies, visit www.tamarackhti.com

About Global Hydration

Headquartered in Thunder Bay, ON, Canada, Global Hydration specializes in water treatment, hydration and health via a broad range of B2B and B2C channels. Led by founders and brothers Andrew and Ian Moorey, the company represents a long list of manufacturers in Canada while also engaging in active projects around the globe. In 2014, they launched Elua, a division focused on bringing consumers better health through better water.

For more information about Global Hydration please visit www.globalhydration.com
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PRESS CONTACTS:

Jason Pawelsky, Sales & Marketing Manager
Tamarack Habilitation Technologies, Inc.
1-763-795-0057
jasonp@tamarackhti.com

Andrew Moorey, CEO & President
Global Hydration
1-807-577-0030
andrew.moorey@globalhydration.com

Augustana Care, Tamarack Habilitation Technologies Announce Alliance, Launch Pilot Care Study

Two-year joint study aims at speeding healing for orthotic/prosthetic patients

(Minneapolis –August, 2014) Augustana Care and Tamarack Habilitation Technologies have begun a collaboration to improve treatment options for patients using orthotic and prosthetic care technology. The first major initiative between these two Minnesota-based organizations begins this fall with the launch of a two-year pilot study to assess new friction management treatment technologies to mitigate the impact of heel and ankle sores for patients.

Leaders from both organizations say the study is a significant step in creating promising new treatment technologies. “We are very excited to have the ability to directly tap the expertise of a medical technology developer like Tamarack Habilitation Technologies on behalf of patients who may experience pressure sores,” said Tim Tucker, president and CEO of Augustana Care.  “This kind of collaboration provides firsthand insights for staff in pursuing more effective treatment approaches to improve the lives of patients.”

Tucker notes that over the past 18 months, Tamarack and Augustana Care have increasingly explored the benefits of formal collaboration to address pressure sore issues. Tamarack clinical operations staff has conducted onsite consultations to advance customized care efforts.  And earlier this month, Tamarack led the first of a series of intensive, wound-care training sessions for Augustana Care nurses.

“Pressure sores can take an average of three months to heal. Through learning from this collaboration, we hope to decrease that time significantly,” says Julie Thurn-Favilla, corporate director of skilled nursing facilities clinical practice at Augustana Care in Minneapolis.

The study uses friction management technology in the form of a specially designed sock called GlideWear^®. The sock is available initially to transitional care patients at Augustana Care’s Minneapolis campus. Tamarack expects a gradual roll-out of multiple sock varieties serving patients in transitional care, acute care, orthotic-prosthetic, podiatry, sports medicine and military settings over the next 24 months.

The two companies first connected following a recommendation by the administrator of orthopedic services at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.  Tamarack CEO Joe Hofmeister only expects the collaboration to grow in coming years.

“Augustana Care has consistently expressed an interest in collaboration to develop new products that speed healing,” says Hofmeister. “This friction management pilot is only the first of a budding relationship between our organizations; one that we expect will benefit patients significantly in years to come.”

Hofmeister explains that a successful conclusion to the pilot study will lead to further efforts to make such technology publicly available. “We are exploring other therapies to improve life for older adults and others suffering from pressure sore issues,” said Hofmeister. “In fact, the two organizations are already working to evaluate the efficacy of other friction management innovations, including wheelchair cushions, headrest covers, and bed sheets.”

About Augustana Care

Based in Minneapolis, the non-profit Augustana Care provides senior housing, health care and community-based services to older generations and others in need—and helps residents live the lives that most inspire them. The principles that guide its work are as follows:

• To value older generations’ talents and experience
• To provide the care residents need, when and where they need it
• To connect residents to the people and things that mean the most to them
• To support residents and families with spiritual care that speaks to who they are

Learn more about Augustana Care at www.augustanacare.org.

About Tamarack Habilitation Technologies

Based in Blaine, Minnesota, Tamarack Habilitation Technologies, Inc. is a med-tech product development and manufacturing company specializing in ankle-foot biomechanics, wheelchair seating, and friction management technologies. As manufacturer of the renowned “Tamarack Flexure Joint^®” for custom-fabricated, ankle-foot orthoses, Tamarack distributes its products worldwide in the orthotic & prosthetic, complex rehabilitation, and consumer markets.

Tamarack’s most recent product innovation, the GlideWear^® Prosthetic Liner Patch, was developed to help amputees relieve and prevent discomfort and skin breakdown in residual limbs. For more information about Tamarack Habilitation Technologies, visit www.tamarackhti.com

 

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PRESS CONTACTS:

Jenna Zark, Director of Communications

Augustana Care

612-238-8552

jjzark@augustanacare.org

 

Jason Pawelsky, Sales & Marketing Manager

Tamarack Habilitation Technologies, Inc.

763-795-0057

jasonp@tamarackhti.com

Newly-Redesigned Clevisphere Ankle Joint

Tamarack Habilitation Technologies is delighted to announce the launch of our newly-redesigned Model 747 Tamarack Clevisphere^™ Joint. In order to address customer concerns with regard to the dampener pad shifting out of place, we have engineered a recessed area within the Clevisphere Joint casting to more effectively hold the sound dampener pad in place.

As shown in the picture above, the lower photograph shows the dampener pad cavity prior to securing the leather sound dampener. The middle photograph shows the newly-redesigned Tamarack Clevisphere Joint after installing the leather sound dampener pad. Finally, the top picture shows the original Clevisphere Joint, with the leather pad secured to the top of the joint casting.

By recessing the dampener pad into the joint casting, the leather pad is no longer able to slide out of place during use, resulting in longer-lasting sound reduction, which we expect will lead to improved patient and practitioner acceptance of this unique ankle joint option.

Prior to the latest Clevisphere Joint enhancement, just last year, Tamarack incorporated a larger adjustable screw into the joint casting, which is used control the desired level of plantar flexion. This enhancement is evident in the image above (note the obvious difference in the size of the screw between the lower two images and the top image).

For more information about the Tamarack Clevisphere Joint, visit http://www.tamarackhti.com/joints/clevisphere.asp. Be sure to check out the recently developed Clevisphere Joint Fabrication Guide, a step-by-step installation manual, complete with helpful tips & techniques.

Tamarack Hires Business Development Manager

Tamarack Habilitation Technologies Inc., Minneapolis, MN, announces that Wieland Kaphingst, Biomedical Engineer and CPO, has joined the company. Wieland will concentrate on expanding Tamarack’s product lines, with a focus on addressing tissue trauma prevention needs within healthcare markets.

Kaphingst holds O&P certifications in Germany, Europe and in the USA, along with a German degree in biomedical engineering. He looks back at more than 40 years of professional experience in 26 countries and at positions held with small and large patient care facilities, as the Director of the German O&P School and in industrial management positions with companies like ipos, Ossur and Bauerfeind.

Marty Carlson, owner and president of Tamarack Habilitation Technologies states, “It is difficult to find individuals with that spectrum of knowledge, skill and international experience in O&P.” His familiarity with O&P practice in many international markets will help Tamarack to be more aware of opportunities to match our technologies with needs overseas.”

“I am excited to join Tamarack Habilitation Technologies”, says Wieland. “The philosophy of Tamarack, to focus innovatively and primarily on the well-being of the human individual in all of their business consideration is what I can support full-heartedly.”

For more information about Tamarack Habilitation Technologies, visit www.tamarackhti.com

Updates to the Inside Tamarack Blog

Welcome to the updated version of Tamarack Habilitation Technologies’ Blog!

With a new name and site design, “Habilitation Technologies News by Tamarack” will continue to provide product news and valuable educational content for consumers and healthcare providers about foot care, biomechanics and rehabilitation.

Who We Are

Located near Minneapolis, Minnesota (USA), Tamarack Habilitation Technologies manufactures a line of orthotic joint componentry for human and veterinary braces, along with a variety of friction management interface products designed to prevent and heal blisters, calluses, decubitus and neuropathic foot ulcers.

If you’d like to learn more about Tamarack Habilitation Technologies, visit our company website at www.tamarackhti.com.

Great Products are Built from Customer Relationships

Today I want to take a moment to talk about the importance of customer feedback. It’s a critical component of our success as a company and your satisfaction as a customer. We want to hear what you think so that we can continue providing unique and value-added products.

As a small product design, development and manufacturing company, Tamarack Habilitation Technologies sincerely invites customers to share feedback about our products and customer service. The very reason your reading the Inside Tamarack Blog today stems from our desire to share information and collaborate with potential and current customers – both healthcare professionals in our industries as well as consumers & patients who are doing their own research to find product solutions.

If you’re a healthcare professional, consumer or caregiver and would like to share feedback about Tamarack product, please reach out to us. We encourage comments on our Inside Tamarack Blog posts and invite you to email us your questions and feedback – or simply give us a call.

To share questions or feedback related to our products:

Email: info@tamarackhti.com or Call, Toll-Free: (866) 795-0057

Tamarack Flexure Joint^®, Tamarack Variable Assist^™, Clevisphere^™, ShearBan^®, ENGO^® Blister Prevention Patches, GlideWear^™ and GlideFree^™ are products of Tamarack Habilitation Technologies

What’s New at Tamarack

We’ve made a few updates to the Tamarack website this week, including a redesign of the Tamarack Flexure Joint^® and ShearBan^® pages and development of a new Customer Service page. If you haven’t visited our website lately, stop by www.tamarackhti.com for product updates and fabrication resources. We invite customers to call or email us whenever you have questions or feedback about Tamarack products.

In the next month we expect to release our new black Tamarack Flexure Joints^® in both the free motion and dorsiflexion assist models (not including pediatric size joints). The black color option was developed to create a more cosmetically appealing finish when Tamarack Flexure Joints are installed in carbon fiber or dark thermoplastic orthoses. Stay tuned for more information.

If you didn’t get a chance to stop by our booth at the American Orthotic and Prosthetic Association Annual Meeting earlier this month, you probably aren’t aware of our new solution for creating perfect flexure joint cavities, the Tamarack Retrofit Cap^™. We developed this product to facilitate easier, more precise and cost-saving installation of Tamarack Flexure Joints in carbon fiber laminations. The product can also be added to solid ankle orthoses – either custom or off-the-shelf, effectively creating an articulating brace in far less time than fabricating a new device. If you’d like more information about the Tamarack Retrofit Cap – or to be notified when it becomes available from your O&P component supplier, email Tamarack Sales & Marketing.

Have a safe & enjoyable Halloween weekend!

AOPA National Assembly Review

The 93rd annual American Orthotic & Prosthetic Association National Assembly concluded last Saturday in Orlando, Florida. With just under 2,000 registered attendees, the event drew a comparably sized crowd to the meeting last year in Seattle, Washington. The speaker lineup provided ample opportunity for business owners, practitioners and exhibitors to learn about trends and new technologies in the orthotic, prosthetic & pedorthic industry.

Tamarack R&D Manager, Mark Payette, CO, and Dennis Janisse, CPed (National Pedorthic Services) led a workshop titled: Diabetic Foot Problems and Novel Ways to Treat Them with ShearBan^®. The presentation concluded by providing participants the opportunity to use Tamarack’s ShearBan^® product in a variety of applications. If you missed this workshop and would like more information, contact Mark Payette for a list of upcoming workshop dates.

The opening session Thursday morning featured bilateral above-knee amputee, Warren Macdonald and his amazing story about overcoming adversity to continue living the adventurous life he enjoyed prior to his accident. Just 10 months after his accident, Warren successfully climbed Cradle Mountain in Australia (over 5,000 ft.) and, soon after, became the first double above-knee amputee to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,222 ft.). His story was truly inspirational and perfectly suited for the crowd of healthcare practitioners and exhibitors. For more information about Warren Macdonald’s story, visit www.warren-macdonald.com

The Tamarack Habilitation Technologies booth showcased our latest product developments, including prototypes of Tamarack Flexure Joint^® Retrofit Caps, black Tamarack Flexure Joints^® (a new cosmetic option for carbon prepreg and black thermoplastic orthoses) as well as pre-formed ShearBan^® Curve^™ patches. All three products are under development and scheduled for launch by year-end. If you’d like more information about any of these products, please contact us to be first in line when they become available.

Thank you to all the O&P practitioners and exhibitors who stopped by our booth to see what’s new at Tamarack Habilitation Technologies!

The O&P Edge Features Story of Marty Carlson, CPO and Owner of Tamarack Habilitation Technologies

The October 2010 issue of The O&P Edge features a story about Tamarack Habilitation Technologies’ founder, Marty Carlson, CPO, FAAOP, and his 35+ year career in the O&P field. If you’ve ever wondered how the Tamarack^® Flexure Joint and other products & technologies by Tamarack Habilitation Technologies came to be, The O&P Edge has the story.

Read the full-text article about Marty Carlson, Founder of Tamarack Habilitation Technologies here >> J. Martin Carlson, CPO, FAAOP: A Quiet Leader

Tamarack Habilitation Technologies Celebrates 20 Year Anniversary

Tonight the staff at Tamarack Habilitation Technologies will celebrate the company’s 20th year in business with family, friends, customers and local vendors. 20 years ago, in October 1990, Tamarack opened its doors on Energy Park Drive in St. Paul, MN. Originally a full service orthotic, prosthetic & wheelchair seating patient care facility, the company moved to its current Blaine, MN location in 2000, spinning off its patient care division to focus exclusively on product design & manufacturing.

Today, Tamarack continues to wholly-owned by Marty & Peggy Carlson of Mora, MN. Tamarack Habilitation Technologies specializes in the design and manufacturing of orthotic, prosthetic and diabetic foot care products – all aimed at restoring and maximizing human physical function. From the original Tamarack Flexure Joint^® product line to the company’s more recent advancements in low-friction materials (ShearBan^®, ENGO^®, GlideWear^™ and GlideFree^™), Tamarack aims to provide uniquely simple, effective and long-lasting solutions.

Thanks to all our families, friends, customers and suppliers for 20 fantastic years in business!

For more information about Tamarack Habilitation Technologies, visit http://www.tamarackhti.com