Briefs

Lawsuit names National Seating and Mobility

BOSTON - The family of Jeffrey Thompson has filed a lawsuit that seeks $10 million in damages from National Seating & Mobility (NSM), the Associated Press reported in March. The lawsuit claims that NSM's technicians failed to take the 29-year-old quadriplegic out of his wheelchair and disconnect its battery before repairing it, causing him to get pinned under a table when it malfunctioned abruptly and “jumped.” Thompson suffered a broken leg, went into “uncontrollable seizures” and died the next day. An NSM spokesman told the AP it would not comment on pending litigation. He did point out, however, that technicians must be RESNA certified and pass a test to work for the provider.



Hudson adds ATP

NEWINGTON, Conn. - Jim Kelly, an ATP, joined Hudson Home Health Care as regional manager for the New York metro and New Jersey markets in March. Kelly has 20 years of mobility and assistive technology experience. Prior to joining Hudson, Kelly was a rehab sales professional with a New Jersey supplier and, before that, he was a rehab sales professional for Home Care Supply/Praxair. Hudson now has 28 ATPs on staff.



ROHO wants cheerleaders

BELLEVILLE, Ill. - The ROHO Group announced in March that it has added a lifestyle-oriented blog, www.rohocommunity.com, and a lifestyle storytelling Web site, www.liveroho.com, to its social marketing mix. Users will be able to upload their stories and photos themselves, and submit videos by e-mailing files to marketing@therohogroup.com. “It is about the experience of buying a ROHO, and (the blog and site) provide great opportunity for sharing common experience,” stated Melissa Keim, vice president of marketing, education and e-business, in a release.



In the news

Andrew Morris, legislative director for the United Spinal Association, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that the elimination of the first-month purchase option for power wheelchairs may result in health problems for users. “Once a power wheelchair is fitted for someone, it can't just be put back on the shelf and given to someone else,” he was quoted as saying in an April 1 article. “It takes time and money to do all that adjustment. If a person is renting a power wheelchair, it is possible it won't be fitted to their needs, which could cause secondary problems.”