By MICHAEL COLEMAN
Gratefully Giving HOW SOME O&P COMPANIES AND CHARITIES CARED FOR THEIR COMMUNITIES, PATIENTS, AND EMPLOYEES DURING A CHALLENGING YEAR
T
HE O&P PROFESSION has always
excelled at giving back to the community. Orthotists, prosthetists, and O&P business owners continuously go the extra mile—not only to help their individual patients, but also to strengthen the entire limb loss and limb difference population. That commitment to philanthropy was on full display over the past year, as the COVID-19 pandemic took a heavy toll on communities and economies around the world. Despite reduced
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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2020 | O&P ALMANAC
patient loads and revenues, pay cuts, staffing challenges, and ongoing fears of contracting the coronavirus, O&P facilities stepped up their efforts to help others—within their communities, across the country, and even around the globe. From manufacturing face shields for first responders, to building mobile units and swabs for COVID-19 testing, to raising money to fund devices for the uninsured, O&P professionals consistently rallied to lift people up.