VA Expanding Prosthetic & Orthotic Care to Veterans Throughout Delaware and Southern New Jersey

L-R – Prosthetics Chief Corey Smith, Advanced Medical Support Assistant Rosemarie Hawkins, Prosthetic Representative Tina Parsons, Prosthetic Assistant Chief Warren Lingham, Certified Prosthetist and Orthotist Cassandra Thatcher, Certified Pedorthist Devin Burgin, and Inventory Manager Mayra Hurtado standing next to the Mobile Prosthetic and Orthotic Mobile Clinic in front of the Wilmington VA Medical Center

Veterans in Delaware and southern New Jersey who need prosthetic or orthotic care are now seeing improved accessibility. A grant through the Office of Rural Health has allowed the Wilmington VA Medical Center’s Prosthetic and Orthotic department to launch a Mobile Prosthetic an Orthotic Clinic. The Mobile Clinic or MoPOC will visit the Sussex County VA on Mondays and Tuesdays and the Cumberland County, NJ VA Clinic on Wednesdays. 

Additional information from the Wilmington VA:

Veterans can make appointments with prosthetics and orthotics through their primary care provider but amputees can schedule direct with the prosthetics department or self-schedule.

Since most prosthetics and orthotics services are not available in the local community, many Veterans had to travel long distances, back and forth to the Wilmington VA Medical Center for their prosthetics and orthotics care. 

The MoPOC is equipped to bring prosthetic limb, custom brace and shoe and insert modifications to these rural  areas, saving Veterans time from having to go see an outside provider or driving to the Wilmington VA. 

The Wilmington VA Prosthetics Department saved more than $500,000 in orthotics and almost $200,000 for limbs in fiscal year 2023 when doing these services in house, a 30% decrease in patient costs for limbs and prosthetics.

Wilmington’s prosthetics department has seen up to 100 patients a week. the new MoPOC to prescribe, design, and manage the distribution of orthopedic shoes, custom braces, and other prosthetics.  

Orthopedic shoes are important in helping improve a Veteran’s whole health, balance, gate cycle, and decreases overall energy expenditures. Shoes are fit to a Veteran’s foot and custom braces are designed by a Certified Pedorthist, which is a newer position at the Wilmington VA.

The Prosthetics Department has also expanded by hiring a Certified Prosthetist and Orthotist Cassandra Thatcher in January to run the MoPOC and is continuously trying to find new ways to grow and improve care for Veterans.