PFA CELEBRATES 50 YEARS Organization Reflects on Progress and Prepares Members to Tackle the Future
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Special Commemorative Edition CURRENT PEDORTHICS Volume 40, Issue 6 www.pedorthics.org PFA CELEBRATES 50 YEARS Organization Reflects on Progress and Prepares Members to Tackle the Future 2008 Symposium Wrap Up Pedorthic Footwear Association (PFA), 2025 M St., NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20036 CURRENT PEDORTHICS VOLUME 40, ISSUE 6 It Began With One Step: PFA Celebrates 50 Years Serving Pedorthists FEATURES DepartmeNTS 5 PFA Celebrates 50 Years 26 Industry News 28 Industry News 15 2008 Symposium Wrap Up By Brian Lagana 38 Vendor News 42 Pedorthic Industry Events 20 Bylaws Changes 44 Resource Center 23 Advance Beneficiary Notice 46 Pedorthic Marketplace 47 Pedorthic Educators Directory 48 Product Reference Guide CURRENT PEDORTHICS • Volume 40, Issue 6 1 CURRENT PEDORTHICS Pedorthic Footwear Association Board of Directors Executive Committee Headquarters Staff President: Dane LaFontsee, C. Ped. Vice President: Kristi Hayes, C. Ped. Executive Director Treasurer: Liz Chiles, C. Ped. Secretary: Jamie Dick, C. Ped., PT Brian K. Lagana Immediate Past President: Randy Stevens, C. Ped. Directors Membership Services Coordinator John T. Hooper, C. Ped. Caroline Stainback Stuart L. Pressman, C. Ped., CO Arthur Smuckler, C. Ped. Director of Education Michael D. Veder, C. Ped., CO, BOCO Faith Ballard, C. Ped., CO Al Baggett Harlon Compton, C. Ped., CO Tamara A. Daulton, C. Ped. Education Associate Pedorthic Educators Liaison: Rick E. Sevier, C. Ped. Lauren Kemp Vendor/Manufacturer Liaison: Stephen O’Hare Legal Counsel: Allan J. Weiner Director of Meetings and Conventions Medical Advisors John Rubsamen Raymond L. Fritz, DPM, C. Ped. Allan B. Grossman, DPM, FACFAS Exhibits and Sponsorship Coordinator Craig Young, MD Wayne Horton Editorial Staff Director of Marketing Jay Strother. .Publisher and Editor William Wargo. .Art Director Gina Spear Patrick Williams. .Design/Production Marketing Coordinator Advertising & Services Kevin Hurley Caroline Stainback. Membership Tracey Aaron . .Current Pedorthics Government Relations Director Wayne Horton. PFA Symposium William H. Applegate Current Pedorthics (ISSN 1552-8111) is published bimonthly by the Pedorthic Footwear Association (PFA), 2025 M St., NW, Suite 800, Washington, DC 20036. Telephone: 202-367-1145 or 800-673-8447, Fax: 202-367-2145, Web site: www.pedorthics.org, E-mail: [email protected]. Copyright© 2009, PFA. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without written permission. Letters to the Editor and other unsolicited material are assumed intended for publication and are subject to editing. Articles in CP do not necessarily reflect the opinion of PFA, its Board of Directors or its employees. CP’s use of trademarked names is done in an editorial fashion intended to benefit the trademark owner, with no intention of trademark infringement. Subscriptions are available for $45 per year in the United States ($65 outside USA). Back copies, if available, may be purchased for $5 U.S. If you have any questions regarding display advertising or classified ads, please e-mail Tracey Aaron at [email protected]. Please send all product- and industry-related press releases to [email protected]. 2 CURRENT PEDORTHICS • Volume 40, Issue 6 Our customer service reps told us we should change our pedorthic ad to tell practitioners Pedorthist about the products that they get requests for day after day. Some of these have been around for awhile and are proven winners. And some of them are new products that everyone seems excited Preferences about. But all of them are worth taking a look at if you haven’t tried them before. So call your friendly, knowledgeable PEL customer service rep today and order an old friend — or a new favorite. Waterhouse Leather Silipos® Leather Hides Achilles Heel Pad™ Darco SoleTech® Wound Care Shoe Advance™ Orthopedic System Footwear UCO International Becker Orthopedic Plaster Sculpting Tool Kit Tamarack Shearban® Anatomical Sheets Concepts PRAFO® Bauerfeind® GloboPed® Heel Relief Shoe ® Aetrex Acor Orthopedic PEL Focus Comfort Street Footwear Styles Renia with Tandem Closure Colle de Cologne All Purpose Cement Keeping Pace Pediatric Brown Casual Shoe Experience the Power of One.® One warehouse. One order. One shipment. One invoice. One less thing to worry about. Phone: 800-321-1264 Fax: 800-222-6176 E-mail: [email protected] Web: www.pelsupply.com Pedorthic Ad_C.indd 1 9/21/07 11:58:22 AM BUILDING COMPLIANCE ON YOUR RECOMMENDATION EEGGAANN Procare fit specialists have a deep BB understanding of your foot-care TT goals. Recognized by New Balance II H OONNEE SSTTEEPP for their exceptional fitting skills, IITTH Procare experts achieve your WW footwear recommendations with insight and care. They appreciate the special needs of your patients. In addition, your patients will find what they need quickly and easily because Procare fit specialists offer extensive sizes and multiples widths in New Balance, Aravon and Dunham shoes. With Procare, every customer gets the right shoe and the right fit— and you get a valuable ally in the quest for compliance. To find a Procare fit specialist near you, visit newbalance.com ©2008 New Balance Athletic Shoe, Inc. All rights reserved. Inc. Athletic Shoe, ©2008 New Balance PO_10957_Current_Ped_FA08.indd 1 8/6/08 7:19:37 PM ITT BBEEGGAANN I H OONNEE SSTTEEPP WWIITTH PFA Celebrates 50 Years Serving Pedorthists ssociations exist to support members. They offer networking, A education and advocacy for professionals. For 50 years, PFA has served pedorthic professionals. During In 1959, the PFA was absorbed into the newly created the 2008 Symposium, new president Dane LaFontsee offered National Prescription Footwear Applicators, which remained insight into the organization – started five decades ago as the the profession’s organization until 1968 with the creation of Prescription Footwear Association. The retrospective was a the Prescription Footwear Applicators Association. In 1970, celebration of pedorthics – where the profession came from, the organization name changed again to the Prescription where it is now, and where it is going in the future. The Footwear Association and finally, in 1994, to the now familiar following is adapted from his remarks. Pedorthic Footwear Association. History The Origin of “Pedorthics” In 1957, Chuck Roberts and a loosely knit group of shoe The word “pedorthic” didn’t even exist back in 1958. Several fitters formed the Feature Footwear Group in Milwaukee, years after the initial organization was founded, Morton Hack with Stan Sadjak, Sr., as the national chairman and Roberts suggested “pedorthist” – coming from “ped” meaning foot, its executive secretary. FFG became the precursor to today’s and “orthist,” a person who makes braces. PFA has since PFA. defined pedorthics as the design, manufacture, modification and fit of shoes and foot orthoses to alleviate problems Just a year later, Roberts, along with Clyde Edwards caused by disease, congenital defect, overuse or injury. and others, created the Certified Prescription Footwear Applicators. This organization morphed again very quickly The early years of the organization required a Herculean effort that year when in October Texas issued an organizational to keep things going. Today’s association owes a huge debt of charter to create the Prescription Footwear Applicators – PFA. gratitude to Chuck Roberts, Saul Marmer, Seymour Lefton, continued on page 6 CURRENT PEDORTHICS • Volume 40, Issue 6 5 It Began with One Step continued from page 5 Dean Morgan, Clyde Edwards, California at Los Angeles instituted pedorthic programs to Fred Toenges, Morton Hack, Bill complement their already existing orthotics and prosthetics Douglas, Tom McGillicuddy, John courses. While NYU and UCLA dropped their programs in McMahan, Abe Plotkin and others the 1990s, Oklahoma State University at Okmulgee began for keeping the organization together offering a two-year associate degree program in pedorthics and growing. Over the ensuing 50 around 1995. And the New York College of Podiatric years, 28 presidents have led the Medicine and the Dr. William Scholl College of Podiatric organization. (See sidebar.) Medicine added pedorthic programs soon after. Today – some 47 years after the first course at Ball State – Developing Pedorthic there are 10 public and private entities offering pedorthic Education pre-certification programs, including one “mobile school.” In addition, PFA has taken a leading roll in providing critical Pedorthic education evolved continuing pedorthic education programming through alongside PFA’s growth. its annual Symposium and topic-specific courses offered Specialized pedorthic education as throughout the year. we know it today got its start at a Kiwanis Club meeting in 1960 in Muncie, Indiana. Clyde Edwards, a PFA founder, Developing Measurable Pedorthic Standards was in need of training classes for prescription shoe fitters. A conversation with fellow Kiwanian Dr. John Emens led to It would be another 12 years before thought was given to the first pedorthic education program at Ball State Teachers quantifying and certifying the education that pedorthists College in 1961. were receiving in the various pedorthic programs. Like most new trade associations, the Prescription Footwear Association The Prescription Footwear Application – the pioneering in the early ’70s was working to establish credibility for its course June 12 – 16, 1961, at Ball State – became the membership. educational process for the “pharmacists of