Jeff has been a Numotion ATP in New Orleans area for the past nine years and part of the CRT industry for the last twenty-eight years. In 2012, Jeff sold his CRT company to Numotion and transitioned from running a business and being an ATP - to serving customers as a Numotion ATP. He said it was the best business decision he ever made.
Through his time as an ATP, Jeff developed a passion for serving people diagnosed with ALS. This passion would set the course for many opportunities to serve those living with ALS. One individual in particular, Steve Gleason.
In 2013, Jeff was contacted by a physical therapist that he worked with concerning an evaluation. The physical therapist knew Jeff was a die-hard New Orleans Saints fan and asked Jeff to evaluate a player from the team. At that time, it was released, that Steve Gleason, football player for the New Orleans Saints was recently diagnosed with ALS. Unknown to him, the player he would be evaluating was Steve Gleason.
“This was a life-changing moment, Steve informed me that they were forming a team to assist with helping people with ALS to continue to live their life independently. This included accessible vacations/adventures, assistance with technology, and creating an organization for clients to turn to. From that moment on, I witnessed a man who changed the direction of people who were diagnosed with ALS,” said Jeff. “From changes in legislation to laws named after him, to the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor to most importantly changing a death sentence to a full life sentence! This work is an honor and privilege that lit a fire under me to do more.”
The concept that Steve created, sparked an interest in Jeff to create a similar group of Numotion ATPs who would specialize in with people living with ALS. Jeff envisioned a group that would collaborate, come up with solutions, new tech, and be the “go-to” group for the ALS population. Through Numotion’s Peer to Peer program Jeff came up with a group and called it the ALS Council.
“This group of incredible people have worked to develop a new alternative drive control document that ATPs can send when submitting medical justification. The additional information provided in the document is helping to improve approval rates for new seating systems that use the ability drive. The ATP Council has created training videos to assist with navigating through a communication device for Seating Technicians and ATPs. We have case study videos to assist with educating clinicians and funding. The future is extremely exciting with not just the advancement of our group, but also having other ATPs showing interest to start other diagnosis-based groups.”
Steve Gleason shared this about his journey living with ALS and working with Numotion and Jeff, "Living with ALS or any disease is not easy, and I often say it takes a village. Numotion is part of the journey to help me and others with ALS to remain independent,” said Steve Gleason. “From my eight years of experience with Numotion, they have always been respectful, accountable, and have put my needs first. I am excited that Team Gleason's preferred CRT provider is Numotion. With the right care, technology and equipment, people can live a long time with ALS. Numotion’s goals are much like ours and together we will continue to find the best solutions for independence.”