Kimberly-Clark Corporation Wins Company of the Year Award, Medical Device Category, in PM360 Trailblazer Competition

ROSWELL, Ga., Oct. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --Kimberly-Clark Health Care announced today that it has been named Company of the Year, Medical Device Category, in the PM360 Trailblazer Awards competition. Established in 2009 by leading trade publication PM360, the Trailblazer Awards are given to outstanding companies, marketers and brand managers representing top talent and brands.

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Company of the Year judging criteria included Innovation in Marketing and Advertising, Talent Development and Social Responsibility. Kimberly-Clark Health Care was recognized for its industry leadership in each of these categories as demonstrated by initiatives including the KNOWLEDGE NETWORK, Education Bus, Facebook page and partnership with Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).

  • Talent Development: TheKimberly-Clark KNOWLEDGE NETWORK has offeredcontinuing education (CE) courses to more than 100,000 clinicians since 2003 on Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI) management and prevention topics such as Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia (VAP), Surgical Site Infections (SSI) and preventing the spread of airborne infections. In addition, the Kimberly-Clark Education Bushas delivered more than 50,000 accredited CE certificates to doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals through interactive educational programs and product demonstrations.
  • Social Responsibility: Kimberly-Clark Health Care and Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) Industrial Design Department partnered to develop sustainable design solutions for repurposing used KIMGUARD Sterilization Wrap, a type of hospital sterilization wrap. Sixteen undergraduate students were tasked with identifying sustainable new concepts and scalable designs for repurposing the KIMGUARD Sterilization Wrap, resulting in a number of innovative ideas.
  • Innovation in Marketing: Kimberly-Clark Health Care’s “My MIC-KEY” Facebook page was designed to help users and caregivers of the feeding tube share and learn best use and care practices around the MIC-KEY Feeding Tubes.The page facilitates a deep connection among the customers, and also allows for the company to interact directly with its users to create a highly personal experience. Upon its introduction, the page gained 80 new fans overnight, underscoring the unmet networking and information-sharing needs among feeding tube users and their families.

“Kimberly-Clark Health Care is very proud to have been selected as the top medical device company of the year, especially considering the very high caliber of competition in this category,” said Robyn M. Whalen, Marketing Director of Kimberly-Clark Health Care’s North America Medical Devices. “We strive to offer medical professionals a wide portfolio of solutions to empower safer healthcare and improve the quality of patients’ lives. It’s a huge honor to be recognized and reflects the contributions of everybody at Kimberly-Clark Health Care.”

The awards were announced at a gala on September 9 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Ballroom and winners will be featured in the October issue of PM360.

Since 2009, the PM360 Trailblazer Awards have recognized outstanding achievement and innovation in healthcare marketing. Each year, nominations are judged by the PM360 Editorial Advisory Board, a distinguished cross-section of industry experts. PM360 is a monthly magazine for marketing decision-makers in the pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device industries.

“The PM360 Trailblazer Awards recognize the industry’s best companies, initiatives and individuals,” said Anna Stashower, Editor and Publisher. “Trailblazers are not afraid to take risks, explore new marketing approaches or implement groundbreaking tactics. They display outstanding leadership qualities, innovative thinking and dedication to improving patient lives.”

Kimberly-Clark in the Healthcare Environment

Around the world, medical professionals turn to Kimberly-Clark for a wide portfolio of solutions that improve the health, hygiene and well-being of their patients and staff. As part of their healing mission, caregivers rely on Kimberly-Clark to deliver clinical solutions and educational resources that they can depend on to prevent, diagnose and manage a wide variety of healthcare-associated infections. This more than $1 billion global enterprise of Kimberly-Clark Corporation holds the No. 1 or No. 2 market share position in several categories, including infection control solutions, surgical solutions, pain management and digestive health. And throughout the care continuum, patients and staff alike trust Kimberly-Clark medical supplies and devices, KLEENEX tissues, Kimberly-Clark Professional skin care products and SCOTT towels for day-to-day needs. For more information, visit http://www.kchealthcare.com.

About PM360

PM360 is the premier source for information that product managers and pharma marketing professionals need to succeed in the complex, ever-changing healthcare environment. PM360 offers invaluable perspective on important industry issues through a full-circle combination of how-to information and thoughtful career insights. The PM360 Trailblazer Awards span four categories, including Company of the Year, Marketer of the Year, Brand Manager Awards and Initiative Awards.

SOURCE Kimberly-Clark Health Care