BOCA RATON, FLA.—Healthy Eyes Advantage Inc. (HEA) has moved to expand and continue its strategic initiative to increase support of independent optometry by entering into new partnership arrangements with the Alabama Optometric Association and the North Carolina Optometric Society, according to an announcement this week. In addition, HEA noted that it has finalized enhanced partnership arrangements with the state optometric associations of Maine and Pennsylvania. With the Alabama and North Carolina additions, Healthy Eyes Advantage now teams up with 20 state optometric associations, by far the largest collaborative partnership of its kind in the industry, the announcement noted.

HEA and these professional organizations agree that active collaboration between the industry and the profession is of critical importance as independent eyecare professionals (IECPs) seek to recover from the COVID-19 business disruption and implement new ways of doing business that will allow independents to flourish in a “new normal” environment, HEA said. The new agreements provide for a variety of joint efforts between HEA and each state association, including an increased level of support to the groups, with HEA serving as the preferred purchasing and practice solutions partner to each of these state associations, according to HEA.


Jim McGrann
“HEA is deeply committed to advancing independent eyecare, and we are proud to announce this expansion of our longstanding support of optometry through these new arrangements with Alabama, Maine, North Carolina and Pennsylvania,” HEA chairman and chief executive officer Jim McGrann said. “To date, HEA has contributed more than $13 million in non-dues revenue support to our affiliated associations, and we remain focused on helping our IECP members enhance and grow their practices, both now and in the future.”

The leadership of each professional organization also applauded the new arrangements.


Amanda Buttenshaw
Alabama: Amanda Buttenshaw, executive director, stated, “We are excited about our new partnership with Healthy Eyes Advantage. HEA’s ability to provide maximum savings to our doctors, coupled with resources designed to advance and improve practices, is unparalleled. We are confident that this partnership will help our members’ practices thrive.”







Caroline Fontaine
Maine: “Our partnership with HEA complements the Maine Optometric Association’s mission of providing support for our members’ success. As the preferred purchasing and practice solutions partner for Maine optometrists, HEA provides valuable resources to fit our members' needs, and the non-dues revenue support that HEA provides to the MOA allows us to advance our work to improve eyecare for Maine,” said Caroline Fontaine, executive director of MOA. https://maine.aoa.org/





Rachel Wruble, OD, FAAO
North Carolina: Rachael Wruble, OD, FAAO, president, praised the new arrangement, stating, “The North Carolina Optometric Society is excited to partner with Healthy Eyes Advantage. HEA’s suite of services raises the bar for providing our members with first-in-class vendor programs and business resources to help them prosper.”








Joseph Ricci
Pennsylvania: “The Pennsylvania Optometric Association is constantly striving to find the best possible partnerships for our members. The business partnership with HEA provides our members with exceptional opportunities for easing the challenges of managing an optometric practice through a variety of industry leading cost savings and business resources,” said Joseph Ricci, Esq., CAE, executive director.




HEA, which is based in Boca Raton, Fla., with a West Coast service center in San Diego, delivers “unique benefits to more than 10,000 independent eyecare professionals nationwide,” according to the announcement.