Member Spotlight: Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics
Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics was established 150 years ago in 1861 by James Edward Hanger, the first amputee of the Civil War. Hanger was unsatisfied with the artificial legs available at that time, so five short months after his amputation, he invented his own. In the same year, Mr. Hanger secured two patents from the Confederate government and was commissioned to develop prosthetic limbs for veteran soldiers, and a business was born.
Today, Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics is a global business providing patient care services to more than one million patients annually from nearly 700 patient care centers across the United States. Hanger provides prosthetic and orthotic devices and services - from artificial limbs to braces and supports and much more.
"We provide a full range of prosthetic devices and orthotic devices from head to toe," said Brandon Khoury, Practice Manager of Hanger's Quincy location. "One of the most common conditions we help patients accommodate is diabetes. Unfortunately, there is a lot of demand for specialized footwear and wound care for diabetic patients. Fortunately, special shoes and inserts can help keep pressure off wounds, allowing for healing, and we can help patients prevent amputations or further amputations, depending on their condition. Upper extremity injuries are also common in the Midwest due to farming and manufacturing, so we create a lot of supports and braces for those injuries."
According to Khoury, Hanger’s patients typically find out about the products and services they provide through referrals from other patients or through physicians. After relocating to Quincy from the St. Louis area, Khoury helped start a support group for amputees in the Tri-State Area to fill the void of an amputee clinic, which is not currently available in Quincy. Hanger also offers an online social networking community called EmpoweringAmputees.org. The website is an online resource for information, guidance, and perspective on issues related to limb loss and limb deficiencies for patients, families, caregivers, coworkers and friends.
Khoury has degrees in both orthotics and prosthetics from the University of Texas Medical Center at Dallas and completed a one-year residency for each discipline. Khoury began working part-time in an orthotic shop while in high school, balancing school, sports, and an additional part-time job bussing tables.
“Prosthetics attracted me to the field," said Khoury, "But orthotics was the first thing I learned about. I always liked building things, from legos to models, but also wanted to be in the medical field. Prosthetics and orthotics has turned out to be a good marriage of the two."
Khoury’s experience, both with orthotics and prosthetics and with balancing a heavy work load, help him manage Hanger’s steady patient load in Quincy, which keeps him busy with appointments through the day. This often means working longer hours, fabricating the prosthetic limbs that are made on-site during the evening or weekend.
“Some of our devices are made in Hanger’s national fabrication sites, and most times we have the devices casted, mailed, and sent back to be fitted within 1-2 weeks,” said Khoury. “However, I fabricate as much as I can here in Quincy because I enjoy it. Some might think the job is too demanding, but I love what I’m doing and it doesn’t feel like work. At Hanger, we increase the quality of someone's life and make it safer at the same time. That's very rewarding."
For more information about the services provided by Hanger, stop by 307 N. 36th St., Suite 205 (in the Q-Center), call (217) 222-3680 or visit www.hanger.com, where you can also read the story of Winter the dolphin, the inspiration for the recently released movie Dolphin Tale.
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