December 28, 2009
For more information:
Michael Amiet
Director, Strategy and Operations
Prevail Health Solutions
Office 773.751.0238 | Email team@vetsprevail.com
Eric Strautman
Marketing & Communications
iCARD Systems
Office 636.489.4698 ext. 2007 | Email eric.strautman@icardsystems.com
iCARD Gift Card partners with Vets Prevail to help provide Online Mental Health Care for the US Military
St. Louis, MO – The emailable iCARD Gift Card is now being offered as an incentive to Veterans and Active Duty Troops returning from deployment, to encourage reluctant care seekers to participate in the Vets Prevail training program. Vets Prevail, http://www.vetsprevail.com is an anonymous online program that assists veterans and service members to reintegrate into civilian life and build resilience against Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and other deployment-related mental health issues.
“This time of year, most of our focus is on fulfilling holiday orders for gift cards, since our emailable gift card is seen as a great, last-minute gifting solution, said Eric Strautman, iCARD’s marketing director. “We are really thankful for the opportunity to begin working with Vets Prevail to reward the military personnel who have served us and who have utilized the Vets Prevail online program.”
For many troops, the battle isn’t over when they leave the battlefield. These veterans and service members struggle with the return to civilian life and stigma often prevents them from seeking or receiving the care they need. While problems can be mild and manageable – nothing more than a little difficulty getting back into the swing of things – in many cases they are debilitating.
“Over half of the veterans who would benefit from care refuse to seek it. It is those veterans who are the primary targets of the Vets Prevail program, a convenient, anonymous first step to care,” said Rich Gengler, a Navy F-18 pilot and founder of Vets Prevail.
Vets Prevail was created by a group of veterans dedicated to helping their fellow warriors. It consists of interactive e-learning sessions that are tailored to the military audience and dynamic, conveying the most relevant content to each user based on his or her input. The sessions are supported by instant message chats with Veteran Peer Mentors that strike the right balance between anonymity and community.
In order to encourage returning veterans and service members to participate in the Vets Prevail resilience training, Vets Prevail has struck a partnership with iCARDGiftCard.com, a Florida company and affiliate of iCARD Systems with representation in California, Missouri and Florida. iCARD delivers an emailable gift card that the recipient can then redeem for one or more gift cards from 150+ popular merchants.
Vets Prevail has chosen iCARD’s electronic gift card option, good for online shopping. Recipients will be able to choose from a list of nearly 50 different merchants with online ordering (for example, Nascar.com, Sports Authority, and Fandango.com) providing an entirely online incentive solution.
“We have spent a lot of time thinking about an incentive program, and iCARDGiftCard.com gives us exactly what we need,” said Gengler. “iCARD allows us to deliver rewards with personalized messages online – it’s fast and allows us to respect the anonymity our users. iCARD provided a cost-effective solution to support our current non-profit effort of making the program available for free, to as many veterans and service members as possible.”
“We are indebted to those who serve in our armed forces and who have given their time, talent and significant personal sacrifice,” said Jeff Ehney, iCARD Systems president and founder. “We are really pleased that our online gift card platform will be used by Vets Prevail to provide an incentive to complete the online training sessions.”
About Prevail Health Solutions LLC
Prevail Health Solutions LLC is a Health 2.0 company founded in January 2008 by Richard Gengler and Roger Sweis, then MBA students at the Booth School of Business. The company was created to provide effective and accessible mental health care to the growing number of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Gengler, a former US Navy pilot, and Sweis, a former health care executive, combined their backgrounds to create a unique delivery model to bring mental health resources to returning troops. Prevail has received financial support from the National Science Foundation to develop its innovative web-based technology.
About iCARD Systems
Founded in 1998, iCARD is a pioneer in the development of network-branded prepaid cards and was one of the first to offer Visa Gift Cards online. Today, iCARD is a leading provider of all manner of gift cards for corporate incentives, promotions and rebates. Additionally, iCARD is a dominant player in digital gift card delivery. Its emailable gift card gives consumers access to more than 150 top merchant brands. iCARD is an Independent Sales Organization for the Bancorp Bank and is a Hallmark Cards licensee. Its channel partners include American Greetings and AOL. iCARD has serviced more than 1,500 corporate clients and more than a million cardholders. Learn more at http://www.icardsystems.com. Or, order gift cards online at http://www.icardgiftcard.com.