Vida Works with Reach Out and Read to Complete Literacy Project

Cambridge, MA (November 13, 2008) - Over the last year Vida has been working with Reach Out and Read, developing video vignettes to be placed in their literacy training program. Vida filmed numerous clinical interactions, in an effort to supply relevant and reflective footage. The course has been designed to educate family practice physicians as well as pediatricians, who play an important role in advising parents about the significance of introducing books to children at a young age. The project was recently completed, and both Vida and Reach Out and Read are thrilled with the outcome!

Reflecting on the development of this project, Gretchen Hunsberger, Reach Out and Read’s Massachusetts Program Director, asserts “Vida helped us shape our vision...Initially, Allie [Humenuk] and Lisa [McElaney] guided us through a comfortable, yet challenging brainstorming process.”

Both companies worked tirelessly to ensure that this flash based e-learning program was delivered successfully. As Gretchen Hunsberger states “Throughout our partnership, Lisa [McElaney] remained vigorously insightful about our needs and desired outcome. And dare I say it? The entire Vida team was actually FUN to work with. And that’s important, because under the pressure of deadlines, ‘uncooperative’ babies, nervous physicians, no-shows on the day of the shoot, and cramped quarters…it became crystal clear that an affirmative attitude can make or break the day-of-shoot experience as well as the final product. Our footage is excellent.”

About Reach Out and Read

Reach Out and Read, founded in 1989, makes literacy promotion a standard part of pediatric care so that children grow up with books and a love of reading. Reach Out and Read trains doctors and nurses to advise parents about the importance of reading aloud and to give books to children at pediatric check-ups from six months to five years of age. A special focus is placed on children growing up in poverty. By building on the unique relationship between parents and medical providers, Reach Out and Read helps families and communities cultivate early literacy skills so that children enter school prepared to succeed at reading.

For more information and to donate to Reach Out and Read please visit: www.reachoutandread.org

Vida Receives Funding for Managing Environmental Risks in Pregnancy

Cambridge, MA (November 10, 2008) - The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has awarded a Phase II Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant to Vida Health Communications. This funding will be used to develop the program Managing Environmental Risks in Pregnancy.

Vida will work in conjunction with the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN) and the American College of Nurse Midwives (ACNM) who will assist with content development, program evaluation and promotion. As currently envisioned, this program will be comprised of a web-based training with continuing education for obstetric providers, a 15-minute DVD for patients, and a patient brochure or brochures available either in downloadable PDF format or in print for bulk purchase.

Vida Completes Research Grant on Preterm Infants

Vida has completed research to evaluate the effectiveness of two educational interventions for healthcare providers working in neonatal intensive care units and their patients. The project, titled Supporting the Development of Preterm Newborns (#5 R44 HD042313-03), was funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and ran from August 2002 through February 2008.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

Vida Health Communications, Inc. (Vida) produced two DVD programs that provide information about preterm infant brain development and its implications for newborn care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU):

• No Matter How Small: A Parents’ Guide To Preterm Infant Behavior and Development - for parents
• Focus on the Brain Part 1: The Science of Preterm Infant Development - for clinical staff
  

The impact of these programs on the users was evaluated in a rigorous clinical trial. The evaluation examined three research questions:

• Whether the DVD for parents would significantly increase knowledge and confidence and reduce stress levels of parents of newborns in the NICU when compared to parents receiving the usual education and support,
• Whether the DVD for NICU staff would significantly increase nurses’ knowledge of, and positively influence their attitudes about, preterm infant brain development, and,
• Whether the programs would positively influence the environment of care in the NICU such that there is an overall trend toward developmentally supportive care.

Key Findings

NICU parents who viewed No Matter How Small; A Parents’ Guide To Preterm Infant Behavior And Development:

• Gained in their knowledge of fetal and neonatal development,
• Exhibited reduced levels of parental stress, and
• Displayed increased parental confidence in applying developmentally supportive care concepts,

when compared to parents who did not view the DVD program. The increase in parents’ confidence in applying developmentally supportive care concepts persisted after three months.

NICU staff who viewed Focus on the Brain Part 1: The Science of Preterm Infant Development:

• Gained in knowledge

Across five combined domains regarding developmentally supportive care.

Specifically about developmentally supportive care strategies and
techniques, and

Specifically about the importance of developmentally supportive routine
care and medical procedures.

• Exhibited an improved attitude towards developmentally supportive care

when compared to staff who did not view the DVD program. All of these changes persisted over three months, while combined knowledge actually grew during this time period.

The DVD programs appear to have had a significant influence on the environment of care, as the two single-intervention sites displayed positive gains across most or all studied domains.

A two page summary of the key findings can be found at www.vida-health.com/pdf/nicu_eval_summary.pdf

Vida Employee is Nominated for Daytime Emmy® Award!

(originally posted January 9, 2008)
Vida Executive Editor and Director of Photography Allison Humenuk has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy® Award for outstanding achievement in single camera photography (Film or Electronic) for her work on the PBS series Design Squad.

Borrowing from the hugely popular reality competition format, DESIGN SQUAD is aimed at kids and people of all ages who like reality or how-to television. Its goal is to get viewers excited about engineering! Humenuk served as co-Director of Photography for the 13 episode series.

The Emmy Awards recognize excellence within various areas of the television industry. The awards are a symbol of peer recognition from over 13,000 members of the Academy. Each member casts a ballot for the category of competition in their field of expertise. The Emmy® Awards are administered by three sister organizations who focus on various sectors of television programming: the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (prime time), the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (daytime, sports, news and documentary), and the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (international).

Vida DVD Accompanies New Book By Parenting Expert Alan Kazdin

(originally posted January 8, 2008)
Publisher Houghton-Mifflin today announced the release of The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child, authored by child psychology guru Alan E. Kazdin. Included with the book is a DVD produced by Vida Health Communications illustrating effective tips for some common behavioral problems.

Alan E. Kazdin is John M. Musser Professor of Psychology at Yale University and director of the Yale Parenting Center and Child Conduct Clinic. He is the 2008 president of the American Psychological Association and the author of many professional books on child psychology.

Vida Receives Grant to Study Youth Violence Prevention

(originally posted September 21, 2007)
Vida has received a Phase I research grant award from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to study youth violence prevention training for pediatric providers. The grant was awarded under the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program.

The Small Business Administration Office of Technology administers the SBIR Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program. Through these two competitive programs, SBA ensures that the nation's small, high-tech, innovative businesses are a significant part of the federal government's research and development efforts. Eleven federal departments participate in the SBIR program; five departments participate in the STTR program awarding $2 billion to small high-tech businesses.

Vida Wins National Health Information Awards!

(originally posted September 14, 2007)
Vida's latest programs on preterm infant brain development have been awarded gold and bronze in latest National Health Information Awards. Focus on the Brain, a two-part series on preterm infant brain development for NICU staff received a bronze. No Matter How Small, a similar program for parents of preterm infants received a gold. Both programs have received numerous other top honors including the Surgeon General's Award at the International Health and Medical Media Awards, also known as the FREDDIEs.

The National Health Information Awards program is designed to establish a seal of quality for consumer health information and recognizes the best consumer health information materials and programs from organizations throughout the nation. The awards are organized by the Health Information Resource Center (HIRC), a national clearinghouse for consumer health programs & materials.

Vida Wins Tibbets Award!

(originally posted September 11, 2007)

Vida Health Communications, Inc. of Cambridge, MA has been selected as one of the winners of the 2007 Tibbetts Awards by the Small Business Technology Council. Lisa McElaney, President and Co-founder of the health and education media advocacy company, and John Craine, Vida's Chief Operating Officer received the award on Oct. 10 at the Westin Washington, located at 1400 M Street NW in Washington, D.C.

From left: Roland Tibbets, Lisa McElaney, John Craine, Jere Glover

Named for Roland Tibbetts—the person acknowledged as the father of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program—these prestigious, national awards are made annually to SBIR achievement. Vida Health is one of 55 companies in the U.S. to receive this award, selected from over 4,000 companies that receive contract and grants under the those small firms, projects, organizations and individuals judged to exemplify the very best in SBIR Program each year.

Vida Health Communications, Inc. specializes in producing innovative and highly tailored media approaches to critical public health problems. Vida’s numerous contributions to the field of public health shape current care giving practices for populations-at-risk and clinicians who care for them. In November, 2006, Vida received the C. Everett Koop Surgeon General’s Award, a special recognition for outstanding achievement in health education, at the International Health and Medical Media Festival. The honor came for Focus on the Brain Vida’s recent SBIR funded DVD program which illuminates emerging research related to brain development in preterm infants. Vida is the recipient of 105 similar awards.

The complete list of winners can be found at www.tibbettsawards.org.

For more information contact Lisa McElaney of Vida Health Communications at 617-549-5506 or 617-864-4334 x 15 or Jere Glover with the Small Business Technology Council at 202-662-9700.

Since its inception in 1995, SBTC (sbtc.org) has played a crucial role in promoting congressional legislation and federal regulations that aid small, technology-based companies—including re-authorization of the SBIR program.

Vida Awarded Research Grant to Study Nursing Violence

(originally posted September 11, 2007)
Vida has received a Phase I research grant award from the Centers for Disease Control/National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health to study workplace violence in the nursing profession. The grant was awarded under the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program.

The Small Business Administration Office of Technology administers the SBIR Program and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program. Through these two competitive programs, SBA ensures that the nation's small, high-tech, innovative businesses are a significant part of the federal government's research and development efforts. Eleven federal departments participate in the SBIR program; five departments participate in the STTR program awarding $2 billion to small high-tech businesses.

Vida Awarded Grant to Study Childhood After Preterm Birth

(originally posted July 11. 2007)
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development has awarded a Phase I Small Business Innovative Research grant to Vida Health Communications to study childhood after preterm birth.

The research will look at developing a training for pediatric providers to help them better understand about the likely needs of infants and toddlers who were born preterm in areas such as cognition, visual and motor skills, speech and language, and executive function. A companion educational component for parents of preterm infants is also planned.

For more information about this and other research at Vida please visit our website at www.Vida-Health.com.

Vida Health Communications Wins at 2007 HeSCA Media Festival and CINE Golden Eagle Competitions

(originally posted July 3, 2007)

Vida’s newest DVD series “Promoting Preterm Infant Development,” has won awards at two prestigious film competitions. This DVD series, funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, educates staff and parents on the importance of developmentally supportive care for preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. Both portions of this media program have been honored at the Health and Science Communications Association Media Festival (HeSCA) as well as the CINE Golden Eagle Film and Video Competitions.

Focus on the Brain, the program designed to educate staff in the NICU about practices of developmentally supportive care, won Gold at the Health and Science Communications Association’s 2007 Media Festival. No Matter How Small, which teaches parents ways in which they can support the development of their preterm infant, was a Silver medal-winner. Judging productions based on innovation, creativity, and educational design, HeSCA awards honors to productions that represent the very best in health sciences media. For more information about the festival, visit: http://www.hesca.org/medfest/index.html.

Both Focus on the Brain and No Matter How Small were also selected for the CINE Golden Eagle Award. Recognized internationally for its prestigious awards in visual arts, CINE honors excellence in informational and documentary media. Read more about CINE at http://www.cine.org/about-us.php.

Vida Health Communications Wins a “Platinum Remi” at the WorldFest Media Competition in Houston

(originally posted May 8, 2007)
Vida Health Communication’s "Promoting Preterm Infant Development" was chosen for a Platinum Remi award at the WorldFest media competition on April 28th. The groundbreaking new DVD documentary series about developmentally supportive care for preterm infants was selected for honors out of more than 4,500 international category entries.

Vida produced "Promoting Preterm Infant Development" as part of a project funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Comprised of Focus on the Brain and No Matter How Small, the DVD’s contents are based on the research of Dr. Heidelise Als of Children’s Hospital, Boston which has proven that preterm infants fare better over the long term when neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) employ developmentally sensitive care practices. The programs for staff and parents, filmed on location in four Massachusetts NICUs, feature parents and infants coping with prematurity and commentary from some of the world’s leading experts in neonatal care.

Hospitals participating in Vida’s research were: Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston; Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Boston; UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester and Baystate Medical Center, Springfield.

“Compared to full term infants, children born prematurely suffer a higher incidence of cognitive and behavioral problems throughout their lives.” said Vida’s Executive Producer and the project’s Principal Investigator, Lisa McElaney. “By sharing what we now know about the infant brain and the benefits of care practices that support development, we believe it is possible to improve the short and long-term outcomes for early-born children and their families.”

Worldfest-Houston is one of the oldest international film festivals in North America. Every year awards are given in all categories of film production, with a mission “to recognize and honor outstanding creative excellence in film & video.” For more information about the competition, visit: http://www.worldfest.org/

Vida Health Communications works to improve the well-being of women, children and families by producing evidence-based, educational media for caregivers and patients. Our award-winning documentary programs integrate the latest scientific knowledge and advances in healthcare with consistently innovative approaches to visual and interactive media. Please visit http://www.vidahealth.com/ to learn more about our work.

Vida’s Award Winning Breastfeeding Videos are now available on DVD in Spanish

(originally posted January 25, 2007)
Today Vida Health Communications, Inc. announced the DVD release of the Spanish language version of their award-winning Breastfeeding: How-To, Why-To series.

“Our breastfeeding programs have been long recognized for their excellence, not just through the number of awards they have received, but more importantly, by the folks who are actually using these in the field to educate patients,” said John Craine, Vida’s Chief Operating Officer.

While the English versions of the programs have been available on DVD since 2003, lesser market demand for the Spanish language version wouldn’t justify the added expense, until recently.

“Thanks mainly to a large purchase request for the programs by the State of Arkansas, we were able to funnel some of that revenue into production of the DVDs,” said Craine.

Originally designed for classroom use, the programs are increasingly being used by social service agencies as educational giveaways for patients. When purchased in quantity the programs can be had for as little as $4.95 each.

In addition to the State of Arkansas, the American Red Cross in San Diego has also recently purchased the programs for giveaway.

Vida Begins Digital Distribution of Selected Programs

(originally posted 12/19/2006)
Today Vida Health Communications, Inc. announced that it will begin distributing digital versions of selected programs over the Internet. The new initiative will allow Vida’s customers to rent or buy digital versions of the programs to view on their computers and other internet-connected devices.

“At some time in the not-too-distant future most video, especiallyPublish Post educational and self-improvement programming, will be distributed over the Internet”, said John Craine, Vida’s Chief Operating Officer. “We are attempting to get a jump on the learning curve to position ourselves for this brave new world.”

Digital distribution offers several advantages over traditional DVD sales. First, it costs less to deliver to the customer because it eliminates product packaging and fulfillment costs. Second, it enables the seller to offer more tiers of service to attract a wider range of buyers. Third, it offers potentially universal distribution.

Because the video files are compressed, the quality is described as “near DVD” standards. And even the compressed files can be quite large ranging in size from 200 megabytes to over a gigabyte. A high speed internet connection is mandatory.

Currently, only home editions of Vida’s programs are available this way. Institutional users must still purchase the DVD or VHS classroom editions.

Vida’s digital content is hosted and managed by Brightcove Networks. Customers can preview content on Vida’s website for free. To download programs, customers must first establish a Brightcove account.

Surgeon General’s Award Goes to Vida Health Communications at the International Health and Medical Media Awards Ceremony in New York

(original post date 12/7/2006)
When they arrived at the International Health and Medical Media Awards annual ceremony held at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York last Friday evening, the team from Cambridge’s Vida Health Communications already knew it would receive the “Freddie” in the “Patient Care” category. The surprise came when Focus on the Brain, Vida’s new DVD documentary about developmentally supportive care for preterm infants, took one of the competition’s four top honors, the Surgeon General’s ‘Founders’ Award.

Vida produced Focus on the Brain as part of a project funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. The DVD’s content is based on the research of Dr. Heidelise Als of Children’s Hospital, Boston which has proven that preterm infants fare better over the long term when neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) employ developmentally sensitive care practices. Filmed on location in four Massachusetts neonatal NICUs, Focus on the Brain features parents and infants coping with prematurity and commentary from some of the world’s leading experts in neonatal care. Hospitals participating in Vida’s research were: Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston; Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Boston; UMass Memorial Medical Center, Worcester and Baystate Medical Center, Springfield.

“Compared to full term infants, children born prematurely suffer a higher incidence of cognitive and behavioral problems throughout their lives.” said Vida’s Executive Producer and the project’s Principal Investigator, Lisa McElaney. “By sharing what we now know about the infant brain and the benefits of care practices that support development, we believe it is possible to improve the short and long-term outcomes for early-born children and their families.”

The International Health and Medical Media Competition “encourages and celebrates excellence and every year it attracts documentaries, series, shorts, videos, Web sites and CD ROMs from around the world.” For more information about the competition, visit: www.thefreddies.com.

Vida Health Communications works to improve the well-being of women, children and families by producing evidence-based, educational media for caregivers and patients. Our award-winning documentary programs integrate the latest scientific knowledge and advances in healthcare with consistently innovative approaches to visual and interactive media. Please visit www.vida-health.com to learn more about our work.

Photos of the awards ceremony and review copies of Focus on the Brain are available to members of the press upon request.