It comes as no surprise that ATF Medical’s employees are giving, caring people or that the company gives them each a paid volunteer day each year. Even before joining the company five years ago, Rehab Specialist Kevin Wallace, ATP, CRTS, threw himself into the Berks County, Pennsylvania Special Olympics.

Known there as “the wheelchair guy,” Kevin totes his tools and programmer to the event every year and adjusts wheel locks, walkers, and seats for attendees. He and his wife Kim have volunteered at the event for 20 years, to support the event and their son Connor, who has Down’s Syndrome.

“We used to bring all the area schools together for the event, but it got so large that it became too much for the kids with autism,” Kevin said, “So, now each school hosts their own and this one was held in May at my alma mater, Wilson High School.”

The event kicked off with one of the students singing the National Anthem, followed by the creed Creed for Special Olympics, which is “Let me win. But, if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.” After a parade around the track, the games began. Softball toss. Wheelchair races. Running races. Long jumps. Bicycle Races.

Connor Wallace won the wheelchair race. His dad barely had time to cheer him on since he was inundated requests for wheelchair adjustments and tune-ups. Kevin worked in children’s pediatrics for 20 years before joining ATF Medical and has known some of the kids and their families for 30 years. He has a degree in Rehabilitative Science and a background in sports medicine.

“The Special Olympics is a fun and emotional day for all the kids and families—for everyone concerned,” he said. “Working with these athletes, injured workers, and others who have disabilities reminds me that everybody has challenges,” he said. “It’s what you do with them that makes the difference.”

ATF Medical is excited to welcome Edwina Murphy, OTR, ATP as Director of Rehab Technology. A solid expert in seating and mobility, Edwina brings clinical expertise as an occupational therapist and in-depth rehab technology knowledge as an assistive technology professional. Originally from Ireland, she is based in Houston, Texas and works with our clients and their injured employees who have complex needs. Learn more.

Our Executive Director of Rehab Technology, Erin Zablocki, CDME, CEAC, ECHM, just became a Master Certified Environmental Access Consultant. She is one of the first five people in the country to receive the Master certification.

Erin already held the Certified Environmental Access Consultant (CEAC) designation, which
was created to reduce the disparity in training and practice among professionals who evaluate the environmental access requirements of physically challenged people. Rehabilitation therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and remodeling contractors are among the professionals who can earn the CEAC.

The Master Certified Environmental Access Consultant training takes CEACs to the next level, enhancing their knowledge of home modifications and accessibility products. The course Erin took provided specific training on six core product categories: residential ramps, grab bars, platform lifts, stair lifts, bathroom remodels, and transfer lifts.

New products, technologies and techniques are developed all the time, and ATF Medical supports our professionals as they learn better ways to help injured workers achieve independence through our rehab solutions.

We’re extremely proud of Erin who leads our rehab and adaptive housing solutions teams. Give her a shout out at ezablocki@atfmedical.com.

 

 

 

 

How about sky diving or bungee jumping in a wheelchair?

Our new Rehab Support Coordinator Brad Burns has done all these and more.

At the age of 24, Brad suffered severe injuries – a broken neck and spinal cord injury among them – in a car accident.  He went through two years of rehabilitation, and he knows the challenges of learning to use a power chair, migrating to a manual wheelchair and occasionally a walker.

During his recovery, he contemplated his future. Brad had worked construction before the accident and was studying to become a paramedic.  He knew those jobs were out, but he was determined to return to work.  So, he went to school and earned a degree in health information management and became a medical coder, and later became involved in case management.

While in rehab, Brad also thought about the things he hadn’t done yet.  “My biggest regret was that I’d never traveled, never even been on an airplane,” he said.  “So, three years after the accident, I started traveling by myself, first to a visit a friend in Portland, Oregon, and then on to Vancouver where you can bungee jump in a chair.  They strap the chair to you and throw you off a bridge. It was exciting.”  See his jump.

He later took a solo trip to Egypt where he saw the pyramids and ate dinner on the Nile.  “A problem on this trip became my ‘moment,’” he said.  The plane he was on was forced to turn around because of a sandstorm, and the delay caused him to miss the connecting flight.  He was stranded in Egypt, unable to speak Arabic, and staying in a hotel that wasn’t wheelchair accessible.

“I had to pop three wheelies just to get into the hotel and the elevator was barely big enough to fit the wheelchair,” he said.

Navigating those obstacles on his first international trip and getting home safely made him realize he could live a full life, and he continues to travel overseas.  He also volunteers as a peer mentor at OhioHealth, a non-profit hospital system with a peer support and spinal cord program, and frequently speaks to different groups.

Brad had played football and ice hockey in high school and his love of sports led him to Wheelchair Rugby, which he calls “controlled chaos” with bumper carts and wheelchairs on a basketball court.  His team has five tournaments a year, and he’s also participated in four half marathons.

“The great thing about sports is meeting new people.  Even if you don’t want to play rugby, it’s important to hang out with people who are similar,” he said.  “It’s good to see people in chairs who have jobs and play sports.  The mental aspect of recovery, the sense of losing your identity, takes longer than physical recovery, and it helps to surround yourself with people who have similar experiences and who have the right attitude.”

Brad’s journey hasn’t been easy.  He was in a Cleveland, Ohio hospital for five months and spent another two years in an outpatient program.  Before his injury, Brad was an athlete, a construction worker, a big guy who helped people move.  He wasn’t used to having other people help him. There were days he indulged in a 10-minute pity party, but he kept going with the support of a great family and skilled physicians and rehab specialists, including a locomotor training program sponsored by the Christopher and Dana Reeve foundation.

“If you don’t do anything, nothing is going to happen,” he says.

Although he can use a walker for short periods, Brad stays in his wheelchair most of the time and totally understands the necessity of a good fit.  “If the chair doesn’t fit you right, it can cause back pain, wounds, all kinds of problems,” he says.  “You want to be as independent as you can and need to be able to get the right tools.”

That’s why ATF Medical professionals work so hard to equip injured workers with the tools they need, including selecting the size and type of chair that fits the best and working with injured workers to ensure a good fit.  We also check back a little later to make sure the equipment is still appropriate, and we service and maintain it so we can keep an eye on things and recommend modifications or different equipment if conditions change.

At ATF Medical, Brad helps injured workers receive the right wheelchairs and other medical equipment in a timely manner by coordinating among patients, providers and insurance adjusters. We are delighted to have Brad on board and appreciate his skills and the knowledge and compassion he’s gained from personal experience.

Say hello to Brad by emailing Bburns@atfmedical.com.