DECEMBER NEWSLETTER 1. A CHANGE IS IN THE AIR
2. EASY (LIKE A SUNDAY MORNING)
3. SAREO SAYS SINGING SUPPLEMENTS SANITY
4. SKI RACER
5. 2004 ACA ANNUAL MEETING
6. SOMEBODY TO LEAN ON
7. INFORMATION OVERLOAD A CHANGE IS IN THE AIR That change you sense isn't the brisk chill of winter, nor is it the transition from LBJ's Medicare to George Dubya’s Medicare. Rather, it’s the annual year-end “opt in/opt-out period” for many employers’ health plans.
Those of you who have the option of opting onto new health plans through your employer should be calling either David McGill or Janet MacQueen so that they can assess which insurance policy most completely meets your individual needs. And we must also remind all of you that switching jobs without first speaking to David or Janet is a recipe for disaster. We continue to see clients moving to new employers without verifying what kind of insurance coverage they are (or are not) getting. The greatest job with full health insurance coverage is of little value to you if there are no prosthetic benefits. Yet, we consistently see clients making exactly these kinds of moves, effectively playing Russian Roulette with their health coverage. There’s nothing we like less than undercutting the happiness one of our clients has about landing that dream job by telling them that they now have no prosthetics insurance. So don’t let it happen to you – please make sure to keep us in the loop during all professional transition phases, whether they’re annual opt-in/opt-out periods, or you or a spouse changing jobs. Our Insurance Task force is here to work for you! Take advantage of it! EASY (LIKE A SUNDAY MORNING) What do you do on Sunday mornings? Lie in bed, letting the smooth sounds of The Commodores wash over you as your plush, down comforter repels the angry winter chill? Wrap yourself in your terry-cloth bathrobe and drink that fresh-brewed cup of French Vanilla coffee? Throw a log on the fire and read the paper?
Those things are easy. Easy like a Sunday morning. Don’t take the easy way out. Instead, see Balsley on a Sunday morning – that’s David Balsley, athletic trainer extraordinaire, he of unsurpassed expertise working with amputees! Whether you’re interested in walking or running, Mr. Balsley is your man, and the ASPIRE Monthly Running Clinic is for you. So don’t let the creature comforts of life ruin your opportunity to work with one of the most sophisticated trainers of amputees in the world. Come on out to the track and work the cold out of your body!
For information on the next ASPIRE Monthly Running Clinic, visit the “Community” portion of our website. SAREO SAYS SINGING SUPPLEMENTS SANITY Actually she doesn’t say that – I did. But the alliterative headline was too appealing to pass up. And there’s probably some truth to it, as well. Anyway, Theresa Sareo (HD) continues to warble her way to the top of the pop world. She’s currently focusing all her energies on December 22, when she’ll be singing at the Bubble Lounge (228 W. Broadway) in Manhattan from 8 pm to midnight. Go to FAO Schwartz, see the tree, and then head on over to the Bubble Lounge and check Theresa out! SKI RACER Hold open that week of February 9, 2004! That’s when ASPIRE’s Paddy Rossbach (BK) will encourage kids to plunge down steep hills at breakneck speeds whilst (I use “whilst” in honor of the Queen’s English which Paddy so beautifully speaks) she gets safely carted about on a snowmobile. To be fair, Paddy actuallys encourage kids to plunge down steep hills under the expert supervision of qualified ski instructors who specialize in amputee and disabled skiing, including a cadre of experts from Winter Park, Colorado. The ski week is organized by the Pennsylvania Center for Adapted Sports, headed by Isabel Bohn (AK). It takes place at Camelback ski area in Pennsylvania, and includes end-of-the-week races and a send-off bash for the children. More details will be forthcoming, but block the dates out now so your child (or you, if you’re the kind of wise-beyond-your-years tyke who peruses these hallowed e-pages) can join in the fun. Keep checking out the “Community” portion of our site for additional information. In addition, if you’ve got the itch to ski Camelback other weekends this winter, the Center for Adapted Sports is there for you, with qualified instructors available for lessons at the rate of $44 for 3 hours of instruction. If you would like more information about the Center for Adapted Sports, check out its website at www.centeronline.com. 2004 ACA ANNUAL MEETING Hold the date – the 2004 Amputee Coalition of America convention takes place on August 5-7, in Nashville Tennessee. Theresa Sareo – she of the “singing supplements sanity” headline above – reports that Nashville is a “great” town (I am quoting her, now), which is good enough for us. A Step Ahead always has a sizeable contingent of its clients materialize at this event, and it’s a great time for all. For more info about the Annual Meeting, visit the ACA’s website at www.amputee-coalition.org. SOMEBODY TO LEAN ON Interested in attending a support group meeting? Then make sure to check out our “Community” section, which has up-to-the-minute information about local support groups. Need a gentle push to go? Let me tease you with the following: (1) Yoga; (2) Christmas Party. Now check out the “Community” section to fill in the blanks. INFORMATION OVERLOAD While I’d like to say that we are staggering under the weight of input from our clients about how to better serve you all, the reality is that we do not get as much feedback as we’d like, despite our entreaties. This means 1 of 2 things: (1) A Step Ahead is doing such a great job that no one has any complaints; or (2) we have failed to give our clients the appropriate forum to voice their concerns, questions, and suggestions.
While we would very much like to believe that the former is true, we would be remiss if we simply assumed it. In the past, we have had a suggestion box in the facility. Aside from 1 or 2 slips of paper sporadically placed in that proud receptacle, it usually lay barren, eventually leading us to abandon the noble experiment. More recently, we have encouraged e-mail feedback from clients. This has produced slightly more feedback, although many people are understandably deterred from using this method because it automatically identifies them as the source. So we ask you: in what way are you comfortable communicating your ideas about A Step Ahead to us? Is there a method that we haven’t yet thought of that would increase client feedback (thereby enhancing the services we provide)? If you’re not comfortable e-mailing a response or calling us, send us a letter and put “A Step Ahead Client” where you would normally place your return address. We can’t say it enough: we want A Step Ahead to grow and evolve as part of a collaborative process with our clients, not through unilateral decisions by us about what our clients need. So please take the time to help us make 2004 an even better year for you and A Step Ahead!
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