In the News
Robots Take on Testing
The single-arm, orange robots normally used to punch and weld sheet metal components for cars are taking on a much more human task—walking. According to a recent article in Technology News Daily, researchers at the Fraunhofer Technology Group TEG in Germany have created a 3-D test rig that simulates human movement, allowing anything from running shoes to foot prostheses to be tested under realistic conditions.
“Thanks to bio-mechanical analyses, we understand the rolling movements of the foot,” said TEG project manager Andreas Reindl. “We use this know-how to program the robot. As a result, we can teach it all kinds of movements.”
The robotic arm is mounted to a treadmill and “can almost perfectly imitate the natural walking movements of a human being,” according to the article. For the first time, three-dimensional forces can be tested on prosthetic feet and other components while the robot turns, pushes or pulls in any direction—something conventional testing devices are incapable of, according to the researchers.
Engineers use pressure measuring plates to determine load capacity of a prosthesis, and video recordings and optical recognition systems test which material is best for stability and proper roll.
For more information, visit www.technologynewsdaily.com/node/6616.
Prosthetic Tail for Dolphin
Clearwater Marine Aquarium announced that it has assembled a consortium to develop a prosthetic tail for one of its dolphins, “Winter.” Hanger Orthopedic Group’s Vice President of Prosthetics, Kevin Carroll, CP, FAAOP, was chosen to develop and fit the dolphin’s prosthetic tail.
Winter, an 18-month-old Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, was stranded near Cape Canaveral in December 2005 after being caught in a crab trap. The severe damage to her tail fluke by the trap’s rope entanglement made the fluke eventually come off.
Winter was transferred to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a non-profit Florida organization dedicated to marine animal rescue, rehabilitation and release. She survived, but developed a less efficient and potentially damaging side-to-side swimming style, as there was no tail fluke to give her thrust.
The consortium developing the prosthetic tail will be advised by Mike Walsh, DVM, former lead veterinarian at SeaWorld; Steve McColluch, director of dolphin research and conservation at Harbor Branch Oceanographic
Institution; and Juli D. Goldstein, veterinarian and marine mammal specialist.
“I am honored to be selected by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium for this unique patient case,” Carroll said.
For more information, visit www.SeeWinter.com.
Studies Continue on Microprocessor Knee
A recent study published in the Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development examined whether microprocessor knees improved an amputee’s gait any more than a traditional prosthesis.
The small study tested the biomechanical gait data of eight subjects while each wore a microprocessor knee and, later, a common, non-computerized knee, with comparison to control subjects. Preliminary conclusions from the eight subjects involved included minimal differences between gait biomechanics of subjects walking with the microprocessor knee versus the traditional knee, although the prosthetic limb step length with the microprocessor knee resulted in increased symmetry between limbs.
In their literature review, the authors mentioned that other studies found stronger positive effects of microprocessor knees and recommended that additional, rigorous research be done, especially on more challenging ambulatory tasks.
A study published in the February 2007 Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Research tested seventeen subjects with transfemoral amputation on function, performance and preference. Subjects experienced measurable benefits from the microprocessor knee compared to non-microprocessor counterparts, including improved ability to descend stairs, fewer reported stumbles, with fourteen registering a preference for the microprocessor knee.
For more information, visit www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/jourindx.html and www.elsevier.com.
OPAF Holds Successful 'First Bid'
In March the Orthotic & Prosthetic Assistance Fund Inc. (OPAF) of Langhorne, Penn., held "First Bid," a live and silent auction that raised over $20,000 for the O&P philanthropy organization. This was OPAF's "largest single fundraising event ever," said Robin Burton, executive director.
Over 100 attended the event, which featured a string quartet sponsored by Ohio Willow Wood, cash bar and such items for bid as a Hawaiian vacation, tickets to a taping of "Saturday Night Live" and Yankees/Red Sox tickets.
For more information visit www.opfund.org.
California Amputee Center Expands
Amputee soldiers who call the West Coast home soon may be able to receive the care they need without traveling to San Antonio or Washington, D.C. The Navy Medical Center in San Diego will expand next month to accommodate 40 beds, and may grow to 100 beds, as reported by the Associated Press.
The West Coast’s first major amputee center has seen an increase in patients as more injured soldiers return from Iraq and Afghanistan. It is part of the unit the Navy is building to treat traumatic brain injury, serious burns, combat stress and other debilitating battlefield injuries.
For more information, visit www.navy.mil.
Michigan Group Works Fast to Assist Amputees in Dominican Republic
In March, a group of doctors and prosthetics professionals from the Michigan Society to Advance Rehabilitation (M-STAR) went to the Dominican Republic to fit 32 patients with prosthetic limbs—a feat that normally takes months, accomplished in about a week.
Adult residents of the Caribbean nation had been waiting up to 20 years to receive the prosthetic devices they needed to walk again, according to Dr. Saul Morris, founder of M-STAR and coordinator of the trip. Other patients were children who had never taken a step.
“Talk about tears. We [fitted] kids who had never walked before,” said Morris.
David Ballantyne, CP, FAAOP; Robert Maniere, CP, FAAOP; Jim Williamson, RTOP; and Dr. John Sealey also made the trip. The team worked in a prosthetics clinic at a rehabilitation hospital in Santo Domingo.
Comfort Prosthetics and Orthotics of Clinton Township, Mich.—of which Ballantyne and Maniere are co-owners—funded the mission that involved the reassembly of donated and previously-used components with a donation of nearly $15,000.
M-STAR hopes to make annual visits to the Dominican Republic.
For more information, visit www.m-star.org.
South Carolina CPO Sets Up Advisory Board
Alexander L. Lyons, CPO, president of Lyons Prosthetics and Orthotics of Conway, S.C., has established an advisory board composed of surgeons, nurses, doctors, physical therapists and other health care providers with the goal of opening the lines of communication between “first-level” care providers and O&P practitioners.
“At first, I selected people [for the advisory board] who I had dealt with through referrals,” said Lyons. Chiropractors, podiatrists and physical therapists were also chosen to broaden the professions represented on the board, added Lyons.
Lyons said the advisory board is a forum for health care providers not directly affiliated with O&P to learn more about the various O&P organizations and their goals.
“We want people to know what it means to be certified and why that’s important for patients,” said Lyons. “It’s going to turn into an educational forum to keep in touch with what’s going on in O&P.”
Other topics discussed have included state sales tax on orthotic and prosthetic devices, licensure and insurance issues.
For more information, contact Alexander L. Lyons, CPO at lyonspo@sccoast.net.
OPP Donates Components
A retired welder no longer needs to repair his old Trautman hook after 15 years of repairing it himself, thanks to the Open Prosthetics Project (OPP). OPP—the open-source research collaboration that the O&P Almanac first reported on last September—has donated four of its “reverse engineered” Trautman hooks to longtime users of the device so that they can test and evaluate them.
OPP posts its prosthetic hardware designs on the Internet free of charge. Both individuals and companies have equal access to the research.
For more information, visit www.openprosthetics.org.
Training Phantom Limbs
A team from Dycor Manufacturing and the Health Care Technology Group Inc. of Wharton, Texas is exploring whether it is possible to train the brain to interpret signals from the residual limb as if it were getting signals from a sound limb. They hope such training would increase a patient’s ability to anticipate specific physical events, such as when the heel of a prosthetic foot would begin to slip.
To do this, they have developed a prototype device called the B3P. Michael Wilson, the CPO associated with the project, says that the B3P is designed to take data from sensors on a patient’s sound foot and prosthetic foot, as well as data from inclinometers and accelerometers, in order to measure a patient’s ability to anticipate events that occur with the prosthetic foot. He proposes that they will be able to increase “neurogenic correlation,” or the ability of the brain to interpret residual-limb signals so that it has just as much information about position and movement of the prosthetic foot as it would from the sound limb.
Wilson states that this hypothesis still needs to show that it is “consistent with established theory of how the brain works.” Once that is established, the group may proceed to clinical trials.
For more information, contact Dycor at dycor@houston.rr.com.
AOPA Offers Half-Price Membership Deal
AOPA is now offering six months of membership for a six-month price: $735. This offer is only for patient care facilities and includes full AOPA membership benefits through Dec. 31 of this year.
To join, or to receive more information, visit www.AOPAnet.org for a membership form or contact Kelly O’Neill at koneill@AOPAnet.org or (571) 431-0852.
Find the 1500 Form Confusing?
In response to member requests, AOPA’s upcoming telephone seminar on June 21 will give participants a line-by-line explanation of how to complete the new CMS-1500 form. AOPA’s experts will pay particular attention to new fields on the form, including those involving the National Provider Identifier (NPI).
To register, visit the AOPA Web site at www.aopanet.org.
Sensors Help Rehabilitate Amputees
The Department of Defense has awarded TenXsys—a privately held corporation in Eagle, Idaho—a contract to develop and test new sensors that will measure energy and movement patterns of amputees. The organization received $100,000 initially for start-up funding and, later, $749,000 for a second phase of the project.
The Sensor Monitoring and Relay Transmission (SMART) sensors are based on radio telemetry. They send signals to a nearby computer that interprets and gives instant feedback about subtle balance and fatigue conditions.
TenXsys is partnering with Boise State University and the Center of Orthopedic and Biomechanics Research (COBR) to carry out the testing of the sensors.
For more information, visit www.tenxsys.com.
Results In from Walter Reed Inquiry
Since the April 2007 “In the News” item about The Washington Post’s series on conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, additional articles have reported on the Department of Defense Independent Review Group’s conclusions about the facility. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in a recent press conference, agreed with the group’s recommendation that the center be closed as planned in 2011, if not earlier, and the hospital’s capabilities moved to the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, MD.
Secretary Gates advised, “Far better to make an investment in brand-new, 21st-century facilities,” such as the Naval Medical Center expansion and the planned medical center at Fort Belvoir, Va., than to put more money into keeping Walter Reed open longer.
The investigation found that lapses in leadership and oversight, lack of money, and Pentagon neglect were the main reasons for the bureaucratic delays and for the substandard physical conditions in some areas of the center.
The review group has pressed Congress to legislate and pay for the necessary improvements to Walter Reed themselves, and not to rely on the Pentagon to ensure that the changes are made.
For more information, visit www.washingtonpost.com.
People in the News
Oscar Pistorius, the 20-year-old South African Paralympian, has set three new world amputee sprint records by shaving time off his own 100 meter, 200 meter and 400 meter world records. His 10.91-second time in the 100 meter sprint makes Pistorius the first amputee to officially break the 11-second mark.
Leslie Roberts has been named regional sales manager for Freedom Innovations of Irvine, Calif. Roberts is covering the Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi territories.
Jami Morton, CO, has joined the staff of Sound Limbs Orthotics and Prosthetics of Lewiston, Maine. Morton, a graduate from Northwestern University in Chicago, has more than 17 years of experience in the profession.
Jim Williams has rejoined SPS of Alpharetta, Ga., as a customer service specialist. Williams had previously worked for SPS in the central fabrication facility in Atlanta.
Alan Gracon has been promoted to director of logistics at PEL Supply Company of Cleveland. Gracon has been with PEL Supply since 1979.
Businesses in the News
ABC has formally changed its name to The American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics Inc., following the successful integration of the Board for Certification in Pedorthics (BCP).
The American Medical Association has released its 2007–2008 Health Professions Career and Education Directory. It contains listings on more than 70 health professions and educational programs—all with contact information, class capacity, start dates, program length, tuition costs and more. To order, visit catalog.ama-assn.org.
Arimed Orthotics Prosthetics has moved to a new location at 362 2nd Avenue (at 21st Street), New York, NY, 10010.
Asheville Orthotic Prosthetic Center, based in Asheville, N.C., has launched a new Web site with information about its products and locations along with stories from the center’s clients. The Web site, www.ncopc.com, features information about the development and manufacturing of its pre-fabricated, semi-custom and custom orthotic and prosthetic devices.
The Board for Orthotist/Prosthetist Certification (BOC) has announced its 2007-2008 leadership. Jim Newberry, BOCPO, continues as interim executive director. Teresa Alpert-Leibman, BOCO, C.Ped, will serve as chair; Preston Madler, BOCO, as vice chair; Polly-Jo Hightower, BOCO, CMF, as treasurer/secretary; Mark Collins, BOCPO, as member-at-large; and Kay L. Zehms, BOCO, as past chair. Serving as directors are Kimberly Hertz, BOCO, CMF; Scott R. Baranek, BOCP, CP; Harry F. Brandt Jr., BOCO; William K. Fredenburg, BOCO; Sharon Nichelson, COF, CMF; John J. Rush, MD; Rhonda F. Turner, BOCPO, CMF; Rick E. Sevier, C.Ped, RPOA; and Theresa McLeod, COF, CMF.
Martin Bionics of Oklahoma City has been awarded an Oklahoma Nanotechnology Applications Project Award for $250,000. The company is focused on researching nanoparticle platform technology, including a superhydrophobic nanoparticle powder that can be sprayed onto liners to repel perspiration.
Ohio Willow Wood, based in Mt. Sterling, Ohio, recently donated OMEGA® Tracer® software and shape capture tools to the Oklahoma State University-Okmulgee’s O&P Technician program. Ohio Willow Wood will also provide the school with 10 complimentary fabrication services, Alpha® liners and Ohio Willow Wood feet at no charge.
OPAF recently announced that Ohio Willow Wood has returned as a gold level sponsor for 2007 with its $10,000 contribution to the O&P philanthropy organization.
OPP Inc. of Little Rock, Ark., has launched a new Web site, www.opparkansas.com, with information on its annual education fair, educational opportunities and more.
Ossur, based in Aliso Viejo, Calif., received a 2007 Medical Design Excellence Award for its Propio Foot. The awards recognize contributions and advances in the design of medical products, according to the organizers, Canon Communications LLC of Los Angeles.
In Memoriam
William L. Bartels, CO, of Gaston, Ore., has died. The AOPA past president owned and operated William L. Bartels Orthopedic and Prosthetic Appliances Inc. from 1953 to 1992 before his retirement. Bartels is survived by his wife Gloria, his son William and his daughters Kathryn and Linda.
Harry J. Lawall Sr., CP, of Philadelphia passed away on March 15. He founded Harry J. Lawall & Sons in 1977 with his son, Harry J. Lawall Jr. Over the years, his business expanded to include Lawall Prosthetics/Orthotics and Lawall at Hershey. It encompassed 17 patient care centers throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware with a staff of over 200 people. In all, five sons and a granddaughter of Lawall are working in O&P.
Lawall is survived by his wife Rosemary, nine children and 30 grandchildren.
Donald C. Truesdale, CPO, founder of East Carolina Brace & Limb Co., has died at the age of 71. Truesdale—who devoted over 34 years to the profession—first worked for an O&P facility in Charleston, S.C., before moving his family to New Bern, N.C.
East Carolina Brace & Limb Co. now has seven locations throughout eastern North Carolina.
Survivors include his wife, five sons, two daughters, fourteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
The single-arm, orange robots normally used to punch and weld sheet metal components for cars are taking on a much more human task—walking. According to a recent article in Technology News Daily, researchers at the Fraunhofer Technology Group TEG in Germany have created a 3-D test rig that simulates human movement, allowing anything from running shoes to foot prostheses to be tested under realistic conditions.
“Thanks to bio-mechanical analyses, we understand the rolling movements of the foot,” said TEG project manager Andreas Reindl. “We use this know-how to program the robot. As a result, we can teach it all kinds of movements.”
The robotic arm is mounted to a treadmill and “can almost perfectly imitate the natural walking movements of a human being,” according to the article. For the first time, three-dimensional forces can be tested on prosthetic feet and other components while the robot turns, pushes or pulls in any direction—something conventional testing devices are incapable of, according to the researchers.
Engineers use pressure measuring plates to determine load capacity of a prosthesis, and video recordings and optical recognition systems test which material is best for stability and proper roll.
For more information, visit www.technologynewsdaily.com/node/6616.
Prosthetic Tail for Dolphin
Clearwater Marine Aquarium announced that it has assembled a consortium to develop a prosthetic tail for one of its dolphins, “Winter.” Hanger Orthopedic Group’s Vice President of Prosthetics, Kevin Carroll, CP, FAAOP, was chosen to develop and fit the dolphin’s prosthetic tail.
Winter, an 18-month-old Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, was stranded near Cape Canaveral in December 2005 after being caught in a crab trap. The severe damage to her tail fluke by the trap’s rope entanglement made the fluke eventually come off.
Winter was transferred to Clearwater Marine Aquarium, a non-profit Florida organization dedicated to marine animal rescue, rehabilitation and release. She survived, but developed a less efficient and potentially damaging side-to-side swimming style, as there was no tail fluke to give her thrust.
The consortium developing the prosthetic tail will be advised by Mike Walsh, DVM, former lead veterinarian at SeaWorld; Steve McColluch, director of dolphin research and conservation at Harbor Branch Oceanographic
Institution; and Juli D. Goldstein, veterinarian and marine mammal specialist.
“I am honored to be selected by the Clearwater Marine Aquarium for this unique patient case,” Carroll said.
For more information, visit www.SeeWinter.com.
Studies Continue on Microprocessor Knee
A recent study published in the Journal of Rehabilitation Research & Development examined whether microprocessor knees improved an amputee’s gait any more than a traditional prosthesis.
The small study tested the biomechanical gait data of eight subjects while each wore a microprocessor knee and, later, a common, non-computerized knee, with comparison to control subjects. Preliminary conclusions from the eight subjects involved included minimal differences between gait biomechanics of subjects walking with the microprocessor knee versus the traditional knee, although the prosthetic limb step length with the microprocessor knee resulted in increased symmetry between limbs.
In their literature review, the authors mentioned that other studies found stronger positive effects of microprocessor knees and recommended that additional, rigorous research be done, especially on more challenging ambulatory tasks.
A study published in the February 2007 Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Research tested seventeen subjects with transfemoral amputation on function, performance and preference. Subjects experienced measurable benefits from the microprocessor knee compared to non-microprocessor counterparts, including improved ability to descend stairs, fewer reported stumbles, with fourteen registering a preference for the microprocessor knee.
For more information, visit www.rehab.research.va.gov/jour/jourindx.html and www.elsevier.com.
OPAF Holds Successful 'First Bid'
In March the Orthotic & Prosthetic Assistance Fund Inc. (OPAF) of Langhorne, Penn., held "First Bid," a live and silent auction that raised over $20,000 for the O&P philanthropy organization. This was OPAF's "largest single fundraising event ever," said Robin Burton, executive director.
Over 100 attended the event, which featured a string quartet sponsored by Ohio Willow Wood, cash bar and such items for bid as a Hawaiian vacation, tickets to a taping of "Saturday Night Live" and Yankees/Red Sox tickets.
For more information visit www.opfund.org.
California Amputee Center Expands
Amputee soldiers who call the West Coast home soon may be able to receive the care they need without traveling to San Antonio or Washington, D.C. The Navy Medical Center in San Diego will expand next month to accommodate 40 beds, and may grow to 100 beds, as reported by the Associated Press.
The West Coast’s first major amputee center has seen an increase in patients as more injured soldiers return from Iraq and Afghanistan. It is part of the unit the Navy is building to treat traumatic brain injury, serious burns, combat stress and other debilitating battlefield injuries.
For more information, visit www.navy.mil.
Michigan Group Works Fast to Assist Amputees in Dominican Republic
In March, a group of doctors and prosthetics professionals from the Michigan Society to Advance Rehabilitation (M-STAR) went to the Dominican Republic to fit 32 patients with prosthetic limbs—a feat that normally takes months, accomplished in about a week.
Adult residents of the Caribbean nation had been waiting up to 20 years to receive the prosthetic devices they needed to walk again, according to Dr. Saul Morris, founder of M-STAR and coordinator of the trip. Other patients were children who had never taken a step.
“Talk about tears. We [fitted] kids who had never walked before,” said Morris.
David Ballantyne, CP, FAAOP; Robert Maniere, CP, FAAOP; Jim Williamson, RTOP; and Dr. John Sealey also made the trip. The team worked in a prosthetics clinic at a rehabilitation hospital in Santo Domingo.
Comfort Prosthetics and Orthotics of Clinton Township, Mich.—of which Ballantyne and Maniere are co-owners—funded the mission that involved the reassembly of donated and previously-used components with a donation of nearly $15,000.
M-STAR hopes to make annual visits to the Dominican Republic.
For more information, visit www.m-star.org.
South Carolina CPO Sets Up Advisory Board
Alexander L. Lyons, CPO, president of Lyons Prosthetics and Orthotics of Conway, S.C., has established an advisory board composed of surgeons, nurses, doctors, physical therapists and other health care providers with the goal of opening the lines of communication between “first-level” care providers and O&P practitioners.
“At first, I selected people [for the advisory board] who I had dealt with through referrals,” said Lyons. Chiropractors, podiatrists and physical therapists were also chosen to broaden the professions represented on the board, added Lyons.
Lyons said the advisory board is a forum for health care providers not directly affiliated with O&P to learn more about the various O&P organizations and their goals.
“We want people to know what it means to be certified and why that’s important for patients,” said Lyons. “It’s going to turn into an educational forum to keep in touch with what’s going on in O&P.”
Other topics discussed have included state sales tax on orthotic and prosthetic devices, licensure and insurance issues.
For more information, contact Alexander L. Lyons, CPO at lyonspo@sccoast.net.
OPP Donates Components
A retired welder no longer needs to repair his old Trautman hook after 15 years of repairing it himself, thanks to the Open Prosthetics Project (OPP). OPP—the open-source research collaboration that the O&P Almanac first reported on last September—has donated four of its “reverse engineered” Trautman hooks to longtime users of the device so that they can test and evaluate them.
OPP posts its prosthetic hardware designs on the Internet free of charge. Both individuals and companies have equal access to the research.
For more information, visit www.openprosthetics.org.
Training Phantom Limbs
A team from Dycor Manufacturing and the Health Care Technology Group Inc. of Wharton, Texas is exploring whether it is possible to train the brain to interpret signals from the residual limb as if it were getting signals from a sound limb. They hope such training would increase a patient’s ability to anticipate specific physical events, such as when the heel of a prosthetic foot would begin to slip.
To do this, they have developed a prototype device called the B3P. Michael Wilson, the CPO associated with the project, says that the B3P is designed to take data from sensors on a patient’s sound foot and prosthetic foot, as well as data from inclinometers and accelerometers, in order to measure a patient’s ability to anticipate events that occur with the prosthetic foot. He proposes that they will be able to increase “neurogenic correlation,” or the ability of the brain to interpret residual-limb signals so that it has just as much information about position and movement of the prosthetic foot as it would from the sound limb.
Wilson states that this hypothesis still needs to show that it is “consistent with established theory of how the brain works.” Once that is established, the group may proceed to clinical trials.
For more information, contact Dycor at dycor@houston.rr.com.
AOPA Offers Half-Price Membership Deal
AOPA is now offering six months of membership for a six-month price: $735. This offer is only for patient care facilities and includes full AOPA membership benefits through Dec. 31 of this year.
To join, or to receive more information, visit www.AOPAnet.org for a membership form or contact Kelly O’Neill at koneill@AOPAnet.org or (571) 431-0852.
Find the 1500 Form Confusing?
In response to member requests, AOPA’s upcoming telephone seminar on June 21 will give participants a line-by-line explanation of how to complete the new CMS-1500 form. AOPA’s experts will pay particular attention to new fields on the form, including those involving the National Provider Identifier (NPI).
To register, visit the AOPA Web site at www.aopanet.org.
Sensors Help Rehabilitate Amputees
The Department of Defense has awarded TenXsys—a privately held corporation in Eagle, Idaho—a contract to develop and test new sensors that will measure energy and movement patterns of amputees. The organization received $100,000 initially for start-up funding and, later, $749,000 for a second phase of the project.
The Sensor Monitoring and Relay Transmission (SMART) sensors are based on radio telemetry. They send signals to a nearby computer that interprets and gives instant feedback about subtle balance and fatigue conditions.
TenXsys is partnering with Boise State University and the Center of Orthopedic and Biomechanics Research (COBR) to carry out the testing of the sensors.
For more information, visit www.tenxsys.com.
Results In from Walter Reed Inquiry
Since the April 2007 “In the News” item about The Washington Post’s series on conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, additional articles have reported on the Department of Defense Independent Review Group’s conclusions about the facility. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, in a recent press conference, agreed with the group’s recommendation that the center be closed as planned in 2011, if not earlier, and the hospital’s capabilities moved to the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, MD.
Secretary Gates advised, “Far better to make an investment in brand-new, 21st-century facilities,” such as the Naval Medical Center expansion and the planned medical center at Fort Belvoir, Va., than to put more money into keeping Walter Reed open longer.
The investigation found that lapses in leadership and oversight, lack of money, and Pentagon neglect were the main reasons for the bureaucratic delays and for the substandard physical conditions in some areas of the center.
The review group has pressed Congress to legislate and pay for the necessary improvements to Walter Reed themselves, and not to rely on the Pentagon to ensure that the changes are made.
For more information, visit www.washingtonpost.com.
People in the News
Oscar Pistorius, the 20-year-old South African Paralympian, has set three new world amputee sprint records by shaving time off his own 100 meter, 200 meter and 400 meter world records. His 10.91-second time in the 100 meter sprint makes Pistorius the first amputee to officially break the 11-second mark.
Leslie Roberts has been named regional sales manager for Freedom Innovations of Irvine, Calif. Roberts is covering the Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Mississippi territories.
Jami Morton, CO, has joined the staff of Sound Limbs Orthotics and Prosthetics of Lewiston, Maine. Morton, a graduate from Northwestern University in Chicago, has more than 17 years of experience in the profession.
Jim Williams has rejoined SPS of Alpharetta, Ga., as a customer service specialist. Williams had previously worked for SPS in the central fabrication facility in Atlanta.
Alan Gracon has been promoted to director of logistics at PEL Supply Company of Cleveland. Gracon has been with PEL Supply since 1979.
Businesses in the News
ABC has formally changed its name to The American Board for Certification in Orthotics, Prosthetics and Pedorthics Inc., following the successful integration of the Board for Certification in Pedorthics (BCP).
The American Medical Association has released its 2007–2008 Health Professions Career and Education Directory. It contains listings on more than 70 health professions and educational programs—all with contact information, class capacity, start dates, program length, tuition costs and more. To order, visit catalog.ama-assn.org.
Arimed Orthotics Prosthetics has moved to a new location at 362 2nd Avenue (at 21st Street), New York, NY, 10010.
Asheville Orthotic Prosthetic Center, based in Asheville, N.C., has launched a new Web site with information about its products and locations along with stories from the center’s clients. The Web site, www.ncopc.com, features information about the development and manufacturing of its pre-fabricated, semi-custom and custom orthotic and prosthetic devices.
The Board for Orthotist/Prosthetist Certification (BOC) has announced its 2007-2008 leadership. Jim Newberry, BOCPO, continues as interim executive director. Teresa Alpert-Leibman, BOCO, C.Ped, will serve as chair; Preston Madler, BOCO, as vice chair; Polly-Jo Hightower, BOCO, CMF, as treasurer/secretary; Mark Collins, BOCPO, as member-at-large; and Kay L. Zehms, BOCO, as past chair. Serving as directors are Kimberly Hertz, BOCO, CMF; Scott R. Baranek, BOCP, CP; Harry F. Brandt Jr., BOCO; William K. Fredenburg, BOCO; Sharon Nichelson, COF, CMF; John J. Rush, MD; Rhonda F. Turner, BOCPO, CMF; Rick E. Sevier, C.Ped, RPOA; and Theresa McLeod, COF, CMF.
Martin Bionics of Oklahoma City has been awarded an Oklahoma Nanotechnology Applications Project Award for $250,000. The company is focused on researching nanoparticle platform technology, including a superhydrophobic nanoparticle powder that can be sprayed onto liners to repel perspiration.
Ohio Willow Wood, based in Mt. Sterling, Ohio, recently donated OMEGA® Tracer® software and shape capture tools to the Oklahoma State University-Okmulgee’s O&P Technician program. Ohio Willow Wood will also provide the school with 10 complimentary fabrication services, Alpha® liners and Ohio Willow Wood feet at no charge.
OPAF recently announced that Ohio Willow Wood has returned as a gold level sponsor for 2007 with its $10,000 contribution to the O&P philanthropy organization.
OPP Inc. of Little Rock, Ark., has launched a new Web site, www.opparkansas.com, with information on its annual education fair, educational opportunities and more.
Ossur, based in Aliso Viejo, Calif., received a 2007 Medical Design Excellence Award for its Propio Foot. The awards recognize contributions and advances in the design of medical products, according to the organizers, Canon Communications LLC of Los Angeles.
In Memoriam
William L. Bartels, CO, of Gaston, Ore., has died. The AOPA past president owned and operated William L. Bartels Orthopedic and Prosthetic Appliances Inc. from 1953 to 1992 before his retirement. Bartels is survived by his wife Gloria, his son William and his daughters Kathryn and Linda.
Harry J. Lawall Sr., CP, of Philadelphia passed away on March 15. He founded Harry J. Lawall & Sons in 1977 with his son, Harry J. Lawall Jr. Over the years, his business expanded to include Lawall Prosthetics/Orthotics and Lawall at Hershey. It encompassed 17 patient care centers throughout Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware with a staff of over 200 people. In all, five sons and a granddaughter of Lawall are working in O&P.
Lawall is survived by his wife Rosemary, nine children and 30 grandchildren.
Donald C. Truesdale, CPO, founder of East Carolina Brace & Limb Co., has died at the age of 71. Truesdale—who devoted over 34 years to the profession—first worked for an O&P facility in Charleston, S.C., before moving his family to New Bern, N.C.
East Carolina Brace & Limb Co. now has seven locations throughout eastern North Carolina.
Survivors include his wife, five sons, two daughters, fourteen grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
