3 minute read
FROM THE NRRTS OFFICE
SUMMER ALREADY?
Written by: GERRY DICKERSON, ATP, CRTS®
It is hard to believe it is almost summer. For the mostpart, it has been 14 months of the pandemic lockdown.As I stated in my last president’s message, we inch evercloser to “normalcy.”
Each part of North America seems to have a dizzyingarray of pandemic-related issues. Some areas are stillunder intense lockdowns, some experiencing increasesin infections, and others, like where I live and work, arelooking toward full openings by the end of June.
Our colleagues at RESNA are hosting a virtualconference again this year. You can view the conferencewebsite here: www.resna.org/Events/Annual-Conference. I attended last year’s conference, and itwas worth every penny. One of the coolest aspectsof the virtual conference was the ability of peoplefrom all over the globe to attend for the first time.Conventional, in person conferences, were beyondtheir available financial resources.
As you have probably heard by now, the InternationalSeating Symposium (ISS), that is held every other yearin Vancouver, British Columbia, has lost its financialsupport mechanism. As of now that conference has not been scheduled. OurCanadian friends are workinghard with U.S. colleaguesto see if there can be analternative solution.
The good news is theUS International SeatingSymposium will be held Oct.28-30, with pre-symposiumOct. 27. ISS will haveoptions of, saving anypandemic issues, in-person,online synchronously, andasynchronously after theconference. If I am right, itwill be the first time all of ushave had an opportunity tobe together, in person, inmore than a year!!
NRRTS, NCART, Clinician Task Force and various other groupscontinue to work on Complex Rehab Technology (CRT) issues,stopping the cuts to CRT Manual Wheelchair Accessories, establishingcoverage for power seat elevation and power standing, securingpermanent remote service and telehealth options for CRT, and thelong-standing quest for a Separate Benefit Category for CRT.
Our annual CRT “on the Hill” visit is in the planning stages now, witha virtual meeting tentatively scheduled for a day during the week ofSept. 20. Right now, the target date is Sept. 21, but please be on thelookout for updates from NRRTS.
There is always a tremendous amount of work that goes on, everyday, behind the scenes. If volunteer involvement is something you areinterested in, please reach out to the NRRTS office.
One of the brightest moments in the past year is the adoption ofNRRTS by our friends and colleagues in Canada. New Registrantshave been pouring in. On April 14, we held our open meeting. Oneof the big agenda items was the welcoming of our new Registrants.The attendance was fantastic, including representatives fromprovincial government! This is really a tremendous moment in theevolution of NRRTS!
This issue’s CRT time machine quote — “Congressman Nussle saidthe HME industry was “the flea on the last hair at the tip of the tail ofthe dog” when it came to being noticed on Capitol Hill!
Is this quote still valid? I do not know, but it is an interesting thingto think about.
The source of the quote is at the bottom of page.
Hoping you and the ones you love remain safe and healthy,
CONTACT THE AUTHOR Gerry may be reached at GDCRTS@GMAIL.COM
Gerry Dickerson, ATP, CRTS®, is a 40-plus year veteran of the DME and CRT industries. Dickerson, president of NRRTS, works for National Seating & Mobility in Plainview, New York. Dickerson is the recipient of the NRRTS Simon Margolis fellow award and is also a RESNA fellow. He has presented nationally at the RESNA conference, ISS and National CRT conference and is a past board member of NCART.
Time Machine Quote: Dennis Sharpe, MK Battery, Summer 2003
