Partnership will Open Doors to Adopt-a-PatientSM Program
PLEASANTON, Calif., March 12, 2014 — CooperVision, Inc. has announced that it is collaborating with the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) to raise awareness of the company’s Adopt-a-Patient SM program. The initiative is focused on optometry students across the United States, giving them an opportunity to develop clinical experience while helping people who need vision correction and care in communities near participating universities.
“We share a fundamental interest in ensuring that optometry students have the best opportunities to learn,” said Devin Sasser of the University of Missouri -St. Louis College of Optometry, who becomes AOSA president later this month. “The possibilities that stem from CooperVision’s Adopt-a-Patient program are invaluable and instrumental in growing future optometrists.”
“With AOSA stepping forward, together we can continue to enhance optometry students’ education in a clinical environment,” said Mark Andre, F.A.A.O., director of academic affairs for CooperVision. “The collaboration supports our goal to reach more students and inform them about the Adopt-a-Patient program. It will give the practitioners of tomorrow new, real-world clinical opportunities, working with patients who otherwise couldn’t afford vision correction and care.”
AOSA will create a featured page regarding the Adopt-a-Patient program on its website, will publish an article featuring the program in its national magazine, Foresight, give the program presence on its Facebook page, and offer program administrative support.
The Adopt-a-Patient program, which started in 2007, allows primarily third- and fourth-year optometry students to gain clinical experience by examining and fitting eligible patients in CooperVision's contact lenses, and providing them with follow up care. Patients receive a complimentary year’s supply of their prescribed lenses from CooperVision. Vision Service Plan (VSP) subsidizes the cost of the exam.
According to students, the program is much more than free contact lenses; it’s about improving lives. They have found participants who are struggling in school, or feel restricted in their ability to play sports because of the limitations of glasses, or even have been teased for wearing glasses. The students’ ability to enhance lives by providing contact lenses not only reinforces clinical principles, but also helps them see the life-changing power of the profession.
Optometry school students and faculty who want to take part can email Mark Andre (mandre@coopervision.com) for more information.
# # #
About CooperVision
CooperVision, a unit of The Cooper Companies, Inc. (NYSE:COO), is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of soft contact lenses. The Company produces a full array of monthly, two-week and daily disposable contact lenses, all featuring advanced materials and optics. CooperVision has a strong heritage of solving the toughest vision challenges such as astigmatism and presbyopia; and offers the most complete collection of spherical, toric and multifocal products available. Through a combination of innovative products and focused practitioner support, the company brings a refreshing perspective to the marketplace, creating real advantages for customers and wearers. For more information, visit www.coopervision.com.
About The Cooper Companies
The Cooper Companies, Inc. ("Cooper") is a global medical device company publicly traded on the NYSE Euronext (NYSE:COO). Cooper is dedicated to being A Quality of Life Company™ with a focus on delivering shareholder value. Cooper operates through two business units, CooperVision and CooperSurgical. CooperVision brings a refreshing perspective on vision care with a commitment to crafting a wide range of high-quality products for contact lens wearers and providing focused practitioner support. CooperSurgical focuses on supplying women's health clinicians with market-leading products and treatment options to improve the delivery of healthcare to women. Headquartered in Pleasanton, Calif., Cooper has approximately 8,000 employees with products sold in over 100 countries. For more information, please visit www.coopercos.com.
About American Optometric Student Association
The American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) is committed to promoting the optometric profession, enhancing the education and welfare of optometry students, as well as enhancing the vision and ocular health of the public. The AOSA represents more than 6,400 students attending the 23 schools and colleges of optometry throughout the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Each school is represented on the AOSA Board by a Trustee and Trustee-Elect, with the AOSA serving as a mechanism through which students can continue in being change agents in their respective schools and communities. To learn more, visit www.theaosa.org.