AUGUST NEWSLETTER 1. TEED OFF
2. WHERE’S ERIK?
3. SO ERIK GETS BACK, THEN WHERE’S DAVE?
4. SO DAVE LEAVES, THEN WHERE DID EVERYONE ELSE GO?
5. SUMMER HOURS REVISITED
6. SWEATING IT OUT
7 WE LOVE YOU ALL, BUT . . .
8. SHE SINGS!
9. CHANGE IS GOOD . . . BUT ONLY IF WE KNOW ABOUT
10. SEE THERESA SING
11. UPCOMING EVENTS TEED OFF A Step Ahead fielded 3 teams at this year’s Long Island Golf Classic, organized by the Eastern Amputee Golf Association. While none of the teams placed in the competition, there was little question that the A Step Ahead contingent was the most nicely attired group of golfers present. In the individual competition held over the weekend, Stew MacKay (BK) took 2nd place in his division, and also garnered 2 “hole” awards (closest to the pin, longest drive). Congratulations to Stew, and thanks to everyone who participated! In other golf news, A Step Ahead client Rita Timpanaro (BK) did extremely well in a recent golf tournament. However, to date we have been unable to track her down for specifics, so we can only state the following: sometime in the last 8 weeks, Rita experienced great success at some sort of golf tournament located somewhere in the continental U.S. We’ll try to fill in the blanks next month. WHERE’S ERIK? Please note that Erik Schaffer will be out of the office the week of August 18, 2003. However, our technical staff will be here in the event of prosthetic emergencies, and we will be able to contact Erik if necessary. The office will be open that entire week, so do not hesitate to call if you have any questions. SO ERIK GETS BACK, THEN WHERE’S DAVE? Please note that Dave McGill will be out of the office August 28 and 29, 2003. However, Erik Schaffer and Janet MacQueen will be here in the event of insurance emergencies (is there such a thing?), and we will be able to contact Dave if necessary. Again, do not hesitate to call us with any questions in Dave’s absence. SO DAVE LEAVES, THEN WHERE DID EVERYONE ELSE GO? One other thing ¬ we will be closed Monday, September 1, for Labor Day. SUMMER HOURS REVISITED We have had extremely positive response to our summer hours schedule over the past few months. Accordingly, we are evaluating whether our clients would be better served by maintaining these hours throughout the year. Please e-mail us your thoughts regarding this issue! We want and need your feedback. SWEATING IT OUT Enjoying the heat and humidity? Walking in a puddle of your own sweat is not the most desirable sensation, especially when it interferes with your ability to keep your prosthesis attached to you. We have recently ordered a topical anti-perspirant designed specifically for amputees that purportedly reduces the amount of sweating inside your socket. We have not yet gotten any feedback about the product’s effectiveness, but if you are interested in trying it, please do not hesitate to contact us for further information. WE LOVE YOU ALL, BUT . . . Nothing brings a smile to our face like seeing a client pop through those elevator doors. Except when that client materializes for major prosthetic work without an appointment and without a phone call to let us know why they’re now here. We understand that emergencies arise requiring immediate prosthetic treatment. However, please extend us the courtesy of a phone call so that you can speak to Erik before “popping in”. The reason for this is simple: we construct our schedule to maximize Erik’s and the technical staff’s time with the clients who are already in the schedule. When people simply appear for treatment, two things happen: (1) they are forced to wait a long time to be seen; and (2) Erik’s ability to focus entirely on those individuals who scheduled appointments days (and often weeks) in advance is now impaired. When an emergency arises, PLEASE CALL FIRST! That way Erik can appropriately adjust the schedule in a way that is fair to both the person with the emergency, and those clients who already have appointments. We thank you in advance for your cooperation. CHANGE IS GOOD . . . BUT ONLY IF WE KNOW ABOUT IT Over the last month, we have encountered several clients who changed physicians without notifying us. This impedes our ability to efficiently process your insurance claims. Doctors frequently take days, and sometimes weeks, to send back a prescription and letter of medical necessity. That process takes twice as long when we send the initial paperwork to the wrong doctor! Whenever you change doctors, please do us a favor and drop us a quick e-mail or call so that we can update our records, and process your claim efficiently. Thanks! SEE THERESA SING Theresa Sareo (HD) continues her world tour (the world of New York City, that is) in August and September, bringing the gift of song to the masses. She plays the 9th Street Community Garden Benefit (September 6), followed by shows at The Bubble Lounge (September 22), and Le Bar Bat (September 24). For more complete information about these shows, visit Theresa’s website, appropriately named: www.theresasareo.com. UPCOMING EVENTS Check out the Upcoming Events section of our website for information regarding this month's support group meetings and ASPIRE running clinic. In some instances, events have not yet been scheduled (hence the absence of information), so keep checking back regularly, because we do add information to this portion of the site as it becomes available.
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