WELLNESS PARTNERS, LLC ANNOUNCES LAUNCH OF NEW SEARCH ENGINE FOR CONTINENCE SERVICES

Concord, New Hampshire Thursday August 9, 2007 — Wellness Partners, LLC is pleased to announce that www.SEPHIAsChoice.com, a new website designed to help both patients and health care professionals to find qualified pelvic health specialists, was launched on July 20, 2007. SEPHIA’s Choice™ is a database of pelvic health specialists with detailed information about their practices including the specific services they provide, conditions they treat, setting, type of practice and patient target group. The database is searchable by geographic area and condition. An advanced search feature gives site visitors the ability to find very specific services with up to fifteen variables that can be selected.

The goal of SEPHIA™ is to help consumers find specific continence services and to assist health professionals in referring their patients to qualified service providers. This highly specialized group, continence nurses, is scattered among a variety of settings including gynecology and urology practices. Until now, there has been no easy way for their services to be made readily available to the public. Searches are currently free as are listings in the database for qualified pelvic health professionals.

Diane K. Newman, RNC MSN, CRNP FAAN, a certified nurse practitioner, an international expert in the area of pelvic floor dysfunction, and currently Director of the Incontinence Center at SeekWellness.com, has been working for years to create a network of highly specialized continence nurses and other pelvic health specialists.

SEPHIAsChoice.com will become an important source of new patients for this group as well as a basis for networking with peers in their local geographic areas.

“As one of my duties at SeekWellness.com, I answer email from visitors. The most common questions are about where people can find specific help in their home towns. Until now, I had no easy way to provide a good answer unless I knew someone personally who provided the care nearby. This new service, said Newman, is a great way to put patients in touch with the help they seek and fulfills our mission for both consumers and medical professionals.”
ContinenceNurse.net, a companion website for continence nurses and other pelvic health professionals who provide services for urinary and fecal incontinence, overactive bladder, interstitial cystitis, pelvic floor dysfunction and other related medical conditions, was launched at the same time. ContinenceNurse.net offers continuing education opportunities, current information on pelvic health issues, specialized nursing protocols and programs, access to SEPHIAsChoice.com, and a group of innovative community features. We urge all pelvic health professionals providing these services to add a listing to SEPHIA™ and join ContinenceNurse.net to gain access to the whole website.

Urinary Incontinence (UI) is the leakage or loss of urine when you don't want to and overactive bladder (OAB) is the uncontrollable urinary urgency and frequency usually associated with urinary incontinence (UI). These two conditions are very common problems in the United States and are estimated to afflict 33 million Americans. More than two thirds of the persons with UI and OAB are women. The total annual cost of providing care for persons with UI is estimated to be $28 billion.

The inability to control urine is one of the most unpleasant and distressing problems from which a person can suffer, often causing isolation, depression and physiological problems. In addition to the patient, UI is also a burden for family caregivers and the community, and the number one reason aging parents are put into nursing homes.

Wellness Partners, LLC was formed in 2001 by a group of health care professionals who want to put the “heart” back into health care. They hope to empower consumers
and form partnerships with them to change the health care system through education, interaction and support. Most importantly, they want the consumer to seek wellness always.

Access their web sites at:
• www.SeekWellness.com
• www.SEPHIAsChoice.com
• www.ContinenceNurse.net

For more information, contact Josee Archer at 800 840-9301.