Numotion, Team Gleason Partner to Improve Patient Equipment Access

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by Mary Chapman |

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Numotion has partnered with Team Gleason — the nonprofit started by former pro football player Steve Gleason after his 2011 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis — to improve access to advanced equipment and technology for ALS patients and their families.

The partners also will focus on developing mobility and lifestyle-improvement products to provide greater independence for people with ALS.

As part of the five-year agreement, Numotion will be Team Gleason’s preferred complex rehabilitation technology (CRT) provider. As such, Numotion will work with Team Gleason to provide technology services and solutions that help people with ALS lead productive and meaningful lives.

Numotion offers products and services that help people with mobility limitations have more independence and actively participate in daily life. Team Gleason provides equipment, technology, and life adventures to ALS patients in the United States.

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The collaboration is expected to advance Team Gleason’s goal to get resources to everyone living with the progressive neurodegenerative disorder. It’s already led to the formation of the Numotion/Team Gleason Peer2Peer ALS Council, which will provide oversight and advice regarding new technologies and funding processes. The also council will contribute its clinical expertise to technology development efforts.

“This partnership extends from input in Team Gleason’s Wheelchair Guide to the creation of educational videos, as well as advocating for issues relevant to the ALS community,” Blair Casey, chief impact officer for Team Gleason, said in a press release.

“I am confident this collaboration will fast-track emerging accessible solutions for all,” Casey said.

Over the last year, Team Gleason has used Numotion to provide more than 400 wheelchair lifts to patients, and will likely exceed that figure this year.

“We are honored and excited to partner with Team Gleason,” said Mike Swinford, Numotion’s CEO. “Team Gleason’s impact on ALS awareness and advocacy is immeasurable. We share their deep commitment to improving the lives of those living with ALS and their families.”

According to Swinford, Numotion aided more than 1,000 ALS patients in 2020.

“Through this partnership, we will be able to impact even more people living with the disease,” he said.

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Team Gleason, founded by the former New Orleans Saints football player, has to date provided more than $18 million in technology, equipment, and care services to upward of 20,000 ALS patients, according to the organization. The nonprofit’s mission is to improve life for people with ALS by delivering innovative equipment and technology.

To help raise awareness by showing patients involved in, and enjoying, life, Team Gleason also provides people with ALS with extraordinary travels and events which, according to the Team Gleason Adventures webpage, tell stories of “resiliency and hope.” Such excursions have included trips to an NFL Super Bowl and international travel.

“Living with ALS or any disease is not easy, and I often say it takes a village,” Gleason said. “Numotion is part of the journey to help me and others with ALS remain independent. From my eight years of experience with Numotion, they have always been respectful, accountable, and have put my needs first.”

Gleason said he is “excited” to have Numotion as organization’s preferred CRT provider.

“With the right care, technology, and equipment, people can live a long time with ALS,” Gleason said. “Numotion’s goals are much like ours, and together we will continue to find the best solutions for independence.”