39° and Overcast
Image
The Massachusetts Society of Orthotics and Prosthetics in collaboration with the Amputee Coalition requested that Governor Healey proclaim April Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month, and the Governor’s Office agreed to the proclamation and issued the official proclamation scroll. This year, the MSOP is also supporting a reintroduction of the So Every BODY Can Move bill, H.1178/S.811/S.836.
“APRIL IS LIMB LOSS AND LIMB DIFFERENCE AWARENESS MONTH!”
Who: Amputee Coalition, Massachusetts Society of Orthotics & Prosthetics
What: Official Proclamation naming April Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month; Introduction of H.1178/S.811/S.836, requiring coverage of prostheses and orthoses for physical activity.
Where: Massachusetts
When: Throughout the month of April
Why: Created by the Amputee Coalition in 2010, Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month (LLLDAM) recognizes those living with limb loss and limb difference and seeks to raise awareness about limb loss prevention. More than 5.6 million Americans are living with limb loss and limb difference, based on a recently published study.
Kara McEachern – Mother of Genevieve, 5-year-old girl born with a limb difference from Lakeville: “The So Every BODY Can Move bill is a game-changer for individuals like Genevieve, ensuring that access to the prosthetic devices they need isn’t limited by outdated insurance policies. For Genevieve, this bill represents the freedom to move, play, and fully participate in the activities she loves without unnecessary barriers. Every child and adult living with limb loss or limb difference deserves the chance to live life without limits.”
Posie Mansfield – A grandmother with above-knee limb loss from Essex: “After losing my leg above the knee in 2011, I wanted to get back to doing the sports I had done all my life. Sadly, insurance wouldn’t cover a water leg to be able to go surfing, so I had to apply for a grant but that wouldn’t have been necessary if insurance had covered a basic water leg that would allow me to return to an active life.”
Mike Cacioppo – A healthcare professional from Canton: “As an amputee and cancer patient, the passing of this bill would allow people like myself to live their life as fully as they want to. As a cancer patient, I know how precious every moment of life is, so giving amputees the ability to be active in any way they want to is crucial for people to have that sense of a full life. I want to ski with my family, play sports with my children, and just go for a run with my wife, and if this bill would allow that for people like me, it would be life changing.”
The Amputee Coalition is the leading national nonprofit that serves all individuals who experience limb loss or limb difference. We are dedicated to ensuring that no one is alone in their journey. Our mission is to support, educate, and advocate for people who have limb loss and/or limb difference. We provide vital resources and peer support to people who have limb loss and limb difference, as well as to their families and caregivers to live the life they most want to live. www.amputee-coalition.org.
The Massachusetts Society of Orthotics and Prosthetics is a non-profit member led organization that represents the Orthotic and Prosthetic provider community in Massachusetts to promote communication, education and cooperation between providers, insurance carriers, state legislators and executive departments for the betterment of the Orthotic and Prosthetic profession and the patients it serves. In past and recent history our membership has collaboratively worked on advocacy efforts such as insurance fairness (parity), insurance policy review and reform, and provider/payor rate agreements.
