SANTA BARBARA, Calif., Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- The 1.6 million Americans who require therapeutic oxygen can all breathe easier. The popular website, OxygeNation.com, has joined forces with Leverage Software to launch an interactive online community for oxygen patients and their families as a platform to network with others affected by lung disease.

Members of the OxygeNation Community can each create a personal profile that includes both their interests and reasons for joining the site to initiate interactions. The community members will be enabled to learn, share and develop relationships with one another. The result is that they will be better informed and comforted by others whom have shared experiences.

This online community is a learning tool for many of these patients. "When I was first diagnosed with COPD, I didn't know what all of my treatment options were," said James Goolsby of Griffin Georgia. "I didn't know how going on oxygen would impact my life. Would the independent lifestyle I was accustomed to be changed? This online community would have been ideal. Not only would it have answered all these nagging questions, it would have also helped me realize that there are other oxygen patients out there going through the same trials and tribulations that I was."

"It is a great pleasure to provide an environment wherein the potential exists to have a real impact on one's quality of life," commented Mike Walsh, the founder and CEO of Leverage Software. "We will work closely with Inogen to ensure a thriving community to maximize this impact."

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Alpha-1, Cystic Fibrosis and Asthma are all disorders extensively covered on the site. 58 million people suffer from these diseases combined and there are 1.6 million oxygen patients in the United States.

OxygeNation is a comprehensive resource on the World Wide Web for people who use supplemental oxygen and their families. The site provides information about living with COPD, the latest treatment options and exchange information in a community dedicated to getting the most out of life on oxygen.

http://www.oxygenation.com/

Leverage Software is the leader in enterprise-class social networking and online community solutions, powering communities for more than 150 companies in the technology, media, and consumer and services industries. With a robust suite of functionality which includes personal profile pages, people-matching, blogs, chat, polling, rss, discussion groups, file sharing, targeted advertising, and robust customer and community analytics, the private-labeled Leverage Community Platform empowers companies to create online communities where people can meet, build relationships, contribute and connect.

http://www.leveragesoftware.com/

Inogen is innovation in oxygen therapy. With a team of known leaders in the home healthcare industry, deep experience in medical devices, talented engineers and associates each committed to revolutionizing oxygen therapy, our vision is to develop innovative, cost effective respiratory home healthcare equipment that improves quality of life for patients and bottom line profits for providers. And we are proud to introduce our first commitment to that vision: The Inogen One.

http://www.inogen.net/

CONTACT: Daryl Risinger of Inogen, +1-805-562-0511

Web site: http://www.oxygenation.com/

Web site: http://www.leveragesoftware.com/

Web site: http://www.inogen.net/