Press release from Mountain Care:
MountainCare is excited to announce that the Seating and Wheeled Mobility Clinic will reopen as our newest service line on March 23rd!
“When the community was faced with losing the wheeled mobility clinic, MountainCare recognized the need to step in to continue offering this critical service to those who need it,” says Elizabeth Williams, Executive Director of MountainCare.
Physical therapist Barbara Crume has made life comfortable and pain-free for thousands of WNC wheelchair users since 1993 through the CarePartners Seating Clinic.
In December, HCA announced plans to close the grant-funded clinic and offered to assist patients with identifying new service providers in the area. Barbara Crume is the leading physical therapist and seating clinic specialist in WNC with the skills to work with the most complex cases.
MountainCare is a newly formed non-profit developed when HCA purchased Mission Hospital last year. Four independent entities within the Mission network joined together to create one standalone agency, including Adult Day Services, Grief Support, Music Therapy, and the Rathbun House.
Though our organization is relatively new, our programs and providers are not. We are committed to maintaining these critical, not-for-profit services that have existed for decades within our community. As the only seating clinic of its kind, MountainCare knows that Western North Carolina relies on this service and Barbara’s 37-year expertise!
MountainCare’s clinic will operate out of our Buncombe location adjacent to CarePartners Hospital with a focus on patients with complex, life-long needs. Crume is qualified to capture a person’s shape for a custom mold (if required) and will create a custom system by using pressure mapping tools and modifications to prevent tissue injuries.
She notes, “I like working as a team with the patient, their family, their caregivers, the suppliers, and funding sources.”
Crume is RESNA certified as an Assistive Technology Professional (ATP). Knowledgeable of the products available, she assists in the selection of a supplier that is in-network with your insurance. For complex, long-term systems, a supplier with RESNA-ATP certification is also recommended. Crume can document the medical necessity for ATP certified supplies and obtain funding approval for technology like ultra-lightweight manual wheelchairs, Tilt-in-Space manual wheelchairs, and power wheelchairs with power seat functions. Crume’s passion is working with children and adults with CP, SCI, MS, ALS and other conditions which require them to use a wheelchair full-time for mobility.
“I’ve cared for patients beginning in their childhood, into adulthood, allowing them to be a functioning part of their community. It’s given them the ability to live their life to the fullest,” she says.
She began working with her longestrunning patient in 1982 when he was 4 months old and continues to assist him today. The MountainCare Seating and Wheeled Mobility clinic will start seeing patients on March 23rd , but you can call (828)-820-2828 as of March 16th to schedule an appointment.
MountainCare is honored to welcome Crume as our newest provider working hard to take care of our neighbors as they journey through life. All our services are donation-based, including the Seating Clinic. To contribute or learn more, please visit www.mountaincareservices.org.
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