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********************************************************************** JORDAN THOMAS FOUNDATION SEEKS PROSTHESIS RECIPIENTS
The Jordan Thomas Foundation is seeking to expand its recipient base of children of traumatic injury and limb loss who need prostheses. Jordan Thomas started this foundation at the age of 16 while still in the hospital after losing both legs in a boating accident. The foundation now actively supports five children and has a partnership in Haiti as well. International children brought to the United States through the medical visa process with a sponsor will also be considered.
Candidates may e-mail info@jordanthomasfoundation.org for an application, which requires documented financial need as well as physician- and prothestist-provided information. Children chosen to participate in this program will be assisted through their growth years to age 18. There is also a special one-time assistance program for 18-24 year-olds. The foundation Web site is JordanThomasFoundation.org. Contact Janet Jobe, director, at 423/622-9006 for more information.
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********************************************************************** INSURANCE FAIRNESS FOR AMPUTEES ACT On April 8, 2011, Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced S.773, the Insurance Fairness for Amputees Act, which in previous Congresses was titled the Prosthetic and Custom Orthotic Parity Act. S.773 would require plans that cover orthotic and prosthetic services to provide those benefits at the same level as other surgical and medical benefits provided under a private health plan, with no separate caps, arbitrary exclusions, or lifetime limits for O&P care. Because the bill does not mandate coverage, it should not cost the federal government anything. Similar legislation is expected to be introduced in the House of Representatives.More information at http://www.oandp.com/articles/NEWS_2011-05-06_01.asp |
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**********************************************************************“HOW FUNCTIONAL LEVELS DEFINE YOU” Webinar Now Available OnlineA webinar titled “Prosthetic Levels of Function: What you need to know” was recorded on April 14, 2011. It was hosted by the Amputee Coalition and Otto Bock HealthCare and presented by Mark Edwards, MHPE, CP, the Director of Professional and Clinical Services for Otto Bock North America. Mark drew on his experience as the head of the Northwestern University Orthotic and Prosthetic program as well as years of patient care and learning. Plan to spend about 30 minutes listening and watching to better understand how activity levels are used to define the types of products and services someone with limb loss receives. More information and the webinar are at: http://ottobockus.com/cps/rde/xchg/ob_us_en/hs.xsl/15741.html?openteaser=1 |
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**********************************************************************VA ENHANCES SERVICES FOR VETS AND CAREGIVERSOn May 9, the VA’s Office of Care Management and Social Work opened the application process for eligible post-9/11 veterans and service members to designate their family caregivers. Additional services for primary family caregivers include a stipend, mental health services and access to healthcare insurance, if they are not already entitled to care or services under a healthcare plan. Caregivers for veterans of all eras are eligible for respite care, education, and training on being a caregiver, meeting the veteran’s care needs, and self-care in a caregiving role. The full range of VA services already provided to caregivers will continue. Veterans may download a copy of the Family Caregiver program application (VA CG 10-10) at www.caregiver.va.gov. The application enables the veteran to designate a primary family caregiver and secondary family caregivers if needed. Caregiver Support Coordinators are stationed at every VA medical center and via phone at 877/222-VETS (8387) to assist with the application process. |
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**********************************************************************CPSC and FDA WARN AGAINST INFANT SLEEP POSITIONERS DUE TO SUFFOCATION RISKOn Sept. 29, 2010 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a joint press release urging parents and caregivers to stop using infant sleep positioners because of the risk of suffocation associated with their use. Infant sleep positioners are devices intended to keep a baby in a desired position while sleeping. Infant sleep positioners can be purchased over-the-counter at retail stores or on websites. They are marketed for use in homes and medical facilities. The most common types of infant sleep positioners are: (1) the sleeping bolster, usually a flat mat with round or triangular cushions on each side of a baby (See Figure 1) and (2) the wedge-style positioner, which elevates a baby’s head higher than its body, sometimes by placing the infant in an attached, diaper-like sling (See Figure 2). More information is available at: http://www.fda.gov/medicaldevices/safety/alertsandnotices/ucm227301.htm. |
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