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January/February 2005

HISTORIC FLIGHT BRINGS WHEELCHAIRS TO DISABLED VIETNAMESE

Physical therapist Amy Bjornson fitting a child into a wheelchair.

On December 9, 2004, Wheels for Humanity, a nonprofit charity in North Hollywood, Calif, which collects, refurbishes, and donates wheelchairs to disabled children and adults worldwide, left San Francisco International Airport to take part in a landmark event—the first scheduled flight of a US carrier to Vietnam in more than 30 years.

“There was tremendous excitement at the airport, on the plane, everywhere,” said David Richard, founder of Wheels for Humanity. “It was truly a historical occasion.”

Along with Richards, actor David Hasselhoff, a board member of Wheels for Humanity, three wheelchair Paralympic athletes who represented the United States in Athens in 2004, as well as a Wheels for Humanity volunteer medical team who hand fit the chairs to children with cerebral palsy, participated in the trip to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), Vietnam. United Airlines donated cargo space to transport 48 wheelchairs.

Actor David Hasselhoff (second row left), volunteers Giselle and Chau Nguyen (second row second and third from right), and Team Quickie members Randy Snow, Danny Fik, and Jacob Heilveil.

Prior to boarding the flight in San Francisco, a ribbon ceremony took place to celebrate the event. Festivities included a colorful and festive Vietnamese market with Vietnamese food, wares, entertainment, and decorations. Gavin Newsom, mayor of San Francisco, Peter McDonald, United executive vice president and chief operating officer, and Truan Tuan Anh, consul general of Vietnam, were present and provided remarks.

In Vietnam, Wheels for Humanity donated the 48 wheelchairs to disabled athletes and children.

“The Disabled Youth Association in Ho Chi Minh City now has the finest wheelchairs in Southeast Asia to practice for the Asia Paralympic games,” said Richards. “I hope to see them at the games in Beijing in 2008.”

Since 1995, Wheels for Humanity has delivered and fitted more than 21,000 wheelchairs in 54 countries, including Costa Rica, Ukraine, Mexico, Uganda, and Thailand.

SURVEY CITES LACK OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY ACCESS
A recent national survey, called Barriers to Assistive Technology Transfer in Society, conducted by Clarkson University, Potsdam, NY, and Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, Allentown, Pa, found that although positive strides in the advancement of assistive technology have occurred during the past 5 years, large numbers of people with disabilities are left without access to those life-improving products. Funding challenges, lack of public awareness about technology’s potential and availability, a shortage of trained experts, and poor collaboration among researchers, clinicians, and users were cited as four key barriers preventing people with disabilities from benefiting from the latest assistive technology products.

Only one in 10 respondents, from more than 350 experts working in various aspects of assistive technology and rehabilitation, thought that the quality of life-enhancing technology is readily available to the majority of the 49 million Americans living with disabilities; almost three quarters of respondents believe that advances in assistive technology lag behind those in other medical and health technologies.

Good Shepherd and Clarkson University designed this scientific survey, which is aimed at rehabilitation professionals who are directly involved in the day-to-day work of technology transfer to determine the level of progress being made. The survey was distributed to rehabilitation and biomedical engineers from the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America and physicians from the Association of Academic Physiatrists. Results were derived from a statistically representative national sample of experts (242 physiatrists and 113 rehabilitation engineers).

Results showed that 75% of the respondents believe that both private sector and federal funding for assistive technology is inadequate compared to funding for other health care research. Two thirds of the respondents stated that improved education of consumers and providers about assistive technology would be among the best ways to increase access and use of assistive technology.

To focus on improving patient outcomes and quality of life, Sally Gammon, president and CEO of Good Shepherd, offered a series of recommendations, which were taken from the collective opinions of survey respondents. Suggestions include advocating federal government support for coverage of all assistive technology used by people with disabilities, designing products with mass appeal, establishing funding partnerships, demonstrating a return on investment with concrete, measurable outcomes that show assistive technology’s economic benefits, and reaching out to consumers to ensure they have access to the latest technology and opportunities to test the products they are using.

SEVEN MOST INFLUENTIAL ORTHOPEDIC PHYSICAL THERAPISTS NAMED
Results of a survey sent to a random sampling of 320 physical therapists from the orthopedic section of the American Physical Therapy Association ranked the following individuals as seven of the most influential people in orthopedic physical therapy today.

Robin McKenzie
James Cyriax, MD
Florence Kendall
Geoffrey Maitland
Stanley Paris
Shirley Sahrmann
Brian Mulligan

NEW TTY NUMBER FOR AMPUTEES
The Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) now offers a dedicated TTY line: (865) 525-4512. The ACA’s TTY number was originally the same as its facsimile number, but is now better equipped to serve individuals with limb loss who need to use a TTY connection.

LOW-LEVEL HEAT THERAPY IMPROVES WRIST PAIN
Continuous low-level heat therapy may provide short-term relief of wrist pain caused by common conditions, such as osteoarthritis, tendonitis, and carpal tunnel syndrome, suggests a new study published in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and reported at the 33rd Annual Meeting of the American Association of Hand Surgery.

Ninety-four patients took part in the randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled trial at two community-based clinical research centers. Of the 94 patients, 57 had wrist pain associated with a sprain injury, 24 had wrist pain associated with occupational activities, and 13 had wrist pain associated with osteoarthritis. Patients were randomized into one off our treatments, which included the use of a heat wrap, an oral placebo, an oral analgesic, and an unheated wrap. Data were recorded over three consecutive days of treatment and 2 days of follow-up. The study evaluated the impact of low-level heat wrap therapy on wrist pain, as well as changes in joint stiffness and grip strength. A significant increase in grip strength was noted by treated patients, while significantly greater reduction in joint stiffness was observed only in the patients whose symptoms were consistent with wrist pain from occupational activities.

“The positive response observed in wrist pain from occupational activities could be explained by the incremental abilities of heat to increase blood flow and improve nerve conduction velocity, which may help reduce inflammation in the area and reduce symptom severity,” said Susan Michlovitz, PT, PhD, CHT, the study’s lead author, in a statement.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Rehabilitation Center Opens Foot and Ankle Center
Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation, Pomona, Calif, recently opened an outpatient medical program specifically designed to serve both pediatric—including newborns—and adult patients with foot and ankle conditions caused from trauma, fracture, bunions, hammer toes, club feet, rheumatoid problems, in-toeing, foot deformities, fixed foot deformities, and gait abnormalities. Orthopedic surgeon Michelle Ward, MD, oversees the center.

The Casa Colina Foot & Ankle Center provides a comprehensive approach to the diagnosis and treatment of foot and ankle problems caused by injury or accident as well as congenital conditions. Ward works closely with a certified orthopedic technician and Casa Colina’s therapy staff, if appropriate, to ensure progress and to maximize outcomes for patients. The goal of the new program is to provide individuals in the community with a one-stop resource for services for the foot and ankle that includes medical care, rehabilitation services, and orthotics. Informational materials regarding various foot and ankle conditions are available in both English and Spanish.

Procedures administered at Casa Colina may include pediatric serial casting, injections, percutaneous tendon releases, flexor tendon releases, shaving of calluses, and casting for fractures. Additional services include community and individual patient education regarding conditions of the foot/ankle, management, and treatment.

Patients at the Foot & Ankle Center will be seen in Casa Colina’s recently constructed Tamkin Outpatient Center, which features state-of-the-art rehabilitation equipment and facilities, including an orthopedic rehabilitation gym, indoor warm and cool aquatic therapy pools, Pilates equipment, isokinetic and plyometrics equipment, computerized functional analysis and balance equipment, and weight training and cardiovascular equipment.

Depending on the diagnosis, some pediatric patients may be seen at Casa Colina Children’s Services Center, which provides medical offices and a rehabilitation setting designed specifically for children. Patients can access the center through a referral by their primary care physician or by self-referral.

Casa Colina accepts most preferred insurance providers and Medicare.

James McDeavitt

New CARF Officers Named
After serving 1 year as vice-chair/chair-elect of the CARF board of trustees, James T. McDeavitt, MD, will chair the board for its 2005 term. McDeavitt succeeds Joanne F. Finegan, MSA, CTRS, as the board chair.

The 50-member board voted Richard Forkosh to succeed McDeavitt as the first vice-chair/chair-elect for 2005. Forkosh will chair the board of trustees in 2006. The board also elected Peter A. Callstrom as second vice-chair. The new officers’ 1-year terms began on January 1, 2005.

McDeavitt has served on the board since 1999 as a representative of the Brain Injury Association of America Inc. He is the senior vice president, education and research, of Carolinas HealthCare System, Charlotte, NC. Carolinas HealthCare System serves persons with neurological diseases, including disorders of the spine, brain, and nervous system, throughout the two Carolinas and the Southeast.

Forkosh joined the board in 2000 as a representative of the United Cerebral Palsy Associations Inc. For the past 18 years, he has been the executive director of United Cerebral Palsy of Greater St Louis, which provides a wide variety of programs that advance the independence, productivity, and full citizenship of persons with cerebral palsy and other disabilities.

Callstrom was elected as an at-large trustee to the board in 2002. A former CARF surveyor, he is the executive director of Partnerships with Industry (PWI). Based in San Diego, PWI is a social service agency that provides job training, assessment, placement, and ongoing support for workers with developmental disabilities.

During Finegan’s 2004 term, CARF introduced standards for accrediting Network Administration and Access Centers and began development of standards for Child and Youth Services. The CARF-CCAC (Continuing Care Accreditation Commission) office in Washington, DC, moved to a larger space that has an educational center, and the CCAC accreditation process became more integrated with the CARF process. Accreditation activities have continued to expand in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe. Internally, Finegan has led continued governance refinements to the board of trustees so the board’s structure can more nimbly carry out the mission and strategic direction of the company.

The CARF board meets three times a year in Tucson for 2- and 3-day business sessions. They also remain available to CARF staff for consultations throughout the year. The first board meeting for 2005 is slated for mid-May.

Aleisha Parrish, wellness manager, Lowcountry Senior Center, Charleston, SC, (left) and Monica Smith, wellness director, the Wellness Center at Twin Towers, Cincinnati, represent the 2005 NuStep Pinnacle Award-winning centers.

2005 NuStep Pinnacle Awards Presented
NuStep Inc, Ann Arbor, Mich, recently announced the winners of its 2005 NuStep Pinnacle Awards—Lowcountry Senior Center, Charleston, SC, for wellness/fitness centers, and the Wellness Connection at Twin Towers, Cincinnati, for senior living communities.

The winners received a NuStep TRS 4000 Recumbent Cross Trainer, a trip to Orlando, Fla, to attend the Athletic Business/Medical Fitness Association/International Council on Active Aging trade show where the award was presented, and an inscribed NuStep Pinnacle Award. In addition, NuStep holds a presentation for staff, guests, and local dignitaries at the winning sites.

The NuStep Pinnacle Award promotes the importance of actively managing fitness and wellness as we age and strives to motivate seniors’ organizations to maximize their health and wellness programs. A third-party panel of judges reviews detailed applications and selects the most innovative and comprehensive programs in two categories: senior living communities—fitness/wellness centers located within independent living communities, assisted living communities, and/or nursing communities—and wellness/fitness centers—exercise and wellness programs developed for older adults at health clubs, hospital-based wellness centers, or senior centers.

Senior MACU Opened Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, has opened a 23-bed medical acute care unit (MACU) at its Roslindale facility to provide extended medical and rehabilitative care for seniors with complex medical conditions or multiple acute or chronic illnesses.

The MACU offers comprehensive rehabilitation, pain management, wound care, respiratory management, dietary, social, and skilled nursing services.

In the near future, the MACU will expand, adding telemetry and ventilator programming.

Hospital CEO Receives AMPRA Award
Kathleen C. Yosko, president and CEO of Marianjoy Rehabilitation Hospital, Wheaton, Ill, recently received the first INDE (Inspired Notable Dedicated Efforts) award from the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association (AMRPA) to honor an individual or group who has had a direct, positive impact on the medical rehabilitation field and the people they serve.

Yosko’s advocacy on behalf of rehabilitation, spanning more than 30 years of service, began with her work as a nurse who helped rehabilitate soldiers injured in the Vietnam war. Having served as president and CEO of two of the three freestanding comprehensive rehabilitation hospitals in Illinois—Schwab and Marianjoy—Yosko has promoted the benefits of rehabilitation, while also championing efforts to reduce disability through preventive measures.

Both the hospitals she has led under-took expansion projects and built new buildings during her tenure.

In addition, at Marianjoy, she was the creative force behind its AbilityLinks program, a nationally recognized Internet job-matching program for people with disabilities and employers. While at Schwab, which is located in an urban neighborhood, she worked to reduce the toll of violence that leads to disabilities. For that work, she has been recognized by various government officials with awards and honors.

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