ATLANTA – When Medtrade convenes Oct 15-17, 2018, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Virginia-based Spina Bifida Association (SBA) will tend a booth (courtesy of Medtrade) in an effort to work with manufacturers and attendees to benefit Spina Bifida patients.

Sara Struwe, MPA, president and CEO of the SBA, made the recent trip to Medtrade Spring specifically to build partnerships with companies that provide services to people with Spina Bifida. “It was helpful for me to see products and speak directly with people who are knowledgeable about the products,” Struwe says. “During my discussions, I discovered that people in the HME industry share a lot of heart in caring for people who use their products and are concerned about many of the issues that concern SBA.”

From there, Struwe and show organizers decided to broaden SBA’s presence at the nation’s premiere HME-focused show. “Many of people with Spina Bifida have severe health issues and face full or partial paralysis, have neurogenic bladder and bowel, and often require extensive seating and mobility solutions to allow them to function,” adds Struwe. “Some require lifts to get out of bed and most have a loss of sensation over the lower half of their bodies. HME is critical to their survival and quality of life.

“Partnerships with companies are crucial to our organizations and we can develop a variety of them based on the needs of a company,” she continues. “Anyone interested in developing a partnership with SBA or learning more about our community can contact me at [email protected].”