The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has authorized Cascade Orthopedic Supply, Chico, California, to distribute ICRC components fabricated by CR Equipements SA, Coopet, Switzerland, to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and relief teams going to Haiti.
After the Haitian disaster, many O&P industry leaders looked to standardize the technology to deploy, Cascade said in a company press release. There was then an industry-wide consensus regarding the use of the ICRC products in Haiti as a minimum, preferred standard because they are less prone to rust and can be maintained in the field for easy repair.
“Cascade has been able to connect clinicians with the ICRC-approved components manufactured by…CR Equipements SA,” the press release noted. “These…components are manufactured using polypropylene, a material that is durable, compatible with tropical climates, and easy for patients to maintain.”
John Cronin, Cascade’s sales and marketing manager, said, “Customers asked us to facilitate these parts because of the challenges in purchasing them directly from Switzerland.”
In addition to the components fabricated by CR Equipements, Cascade said it coordinated the manufacture and supply of dark brown polypropylene and related welding rod through one of its plastic suppliers, Interstate Plastics, Sacramento, California. Dark brown EVA foam was sourced from SoleTech, Salem, Massachusetts. The manufacture of SACH feet was coordinated with Trulife, Jackson, Michigan.
Cascade President and CFO, Jeffrey Collins, recently attended a container send-off at Prosthetika, a nonprofit organization based in Santa Rosa, California.
