fyi

Tara Rosenzweig

PEOPLE

Live Eyewear has appointed Trish Bellrose to the position of product manager. Bellrose is responsible for the company's brand management, product development, and forecasting. Live Eyewear's Trish Bellrose VSP Vision Care announced the appointment of Dr. Boy-Juergen Andresen to the VSP board of directors. Andresen has written and published numerous articles and books on pensions and labor law, and he is a frequent speaker at many national and international conferences. VSP Vision Care's Dr. Boy-Juergen Andresen Viva International Group has named Drew Donley senior vice president, domestic sales. In this newly created position, Donley will oversee the areas of retail sun, specialty retail, domestic optical, and Canada. Viva also announced the promotion of Mick Kunish to the position of executive vice president and chief marketing officer. In his new role, Kunish is responsible for overseeing brand design, marketing, creative development, business development, and public relations. Viva International's Drew Donley In addition, Bausch & Lomb Japan has named Mitsuo (Mike) Hirose as chairman, effective immediately. Hirose has served on the subsidiary's board of directors since January 2009. Viva International's Mick Kunish

BUSINESS UPDATES

Prevent Blindness America (PBA) has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the National Eye Institute (NEI), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). PBA will use the grant to fund "The Diabetic Eye Disease Educator Certification Program."

SoloHealth (www.solohealth. com), maker of EyeSite self-service vision-testing and new patient-generating kiosks, will team with Transitions Optical, Inc., Optos, and other leading eyecare companies to deploy a large number of its award-winning EyeSite kiosks in a major U.S. market this summer. EyeSite kiosks allow consumers to assess their vision and schedule an appointment with a local ECP.

Transitions Optical, Inc., recently brought together experts on the CLAS (Culturally and Linguistic Appropriate Services) standards in health care for a roundtable—Cultural and Linguistic Considerations for Vision Care—in Washington, D.C. The event featured in-depth discussion on the CLAS standards.

In the first quarter of 2009, the VSP Mobile Eyes program provided outreach to close to 2000 low-income, uninsured, and underinsured individuals and families from California to Florida. The mobile clinics traveled to 26 locations, and close to 40 VSP eye doctors volunteered their time.

John Seegers, MEd, an ABO-certified, licensed optician with over fifteen years of experience, has created Opticianworks.com. The site provides free online training for those new to the eyecare industry, with over 300 pictures, illustrations, and several video lessons.

GOOD DEEDS

Essilor of America, Inc., announced a three-year extension of Essilor International's partnership with the Special Olympics–Lions Clubs International Opening Eyes program, the world's largest program dedicated to providing eyecare for people with intellectual disabilities.