WASHINGTON, DC and Manchester, NH — The Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”) and Mobius Mobility LLC (“Mobius”) are pleased to announce the successful completion of the Operation Mobility Tour. The VA Healthcare system and Mobius Mobility are both committed to transforming veteran health care products and services. Together through a research & development partnership, Mobius generously donated fifty iBOT® Personal Mobility Devices to the twenty-five VA Spinal Cord Injury and Disorder (“SCI/D”) Specialty Centers across the US.
“We’ve been thrilled to work with New England Center for Innovation Excellence and the VA SCI/D centers to deliver these donated iBOT® PMDs. The Operation Mobility Tour has been a great start on the path to getting all disabled veterans the mobility and independence they deserve,” said Lucas Merrow, CEO and General Manager at Mobius.
Described as a multi-modal personal mobility device, the iBOT® PMD is a power wheelchair that increases the user’s independence by allowing them to move and interact at eye level, climb curbs and stairs, and traverse various terrains. Mobius trained the clinical teams at each SCI/D Center on how to assess and instruct veterans in iBOT® operation. Of the fifty donated iBOT® PMDs, one device per center is now being used for demonstration purposes, while the others were gifted to the first twenty-five veterans prescribed and trained by the SCI/D Centers. Just before Independence Day, on July 1st, 2022, Mobius shipped the fiftieth donated iBOT® to its new home with a veteran and Paralyzed Veterans of America member in Tampa, FL.
Dubbed the “Operation Mobility Tour”, Mobius staff travelled to each SCI/D Center across the country in a custom RV outfitted specifically for iBOT® deliveries and training. The tour officially launched at the VA’s SCI/D Center in East Orange, NJ, then visited the VA centers down the Eastern Seaboard and Gulf Coast, proceeded to Texas and the entire length of California, and returned east via the northern part of the US before concluding in Syracuse, NY.
“The Operation Mobility Tour is a great example of how public and private partnerships can measurably improve the quality of life for our veterans,” said Leandro DaSilva, Director of the VA’s New England Center for Innovation Excellence (“NECIE”). NECIE initiatives support the VA’s innovation community with practical health care provider guidance, R&D partnerships, and real-world patient input, while allowing the VA to secure priority access to the latest medical treatments and devices for our nation’s veterans. “Despite the numerous and at times seemingly insurmountable challenges presented by the pandemic, the Operation Mobility Tour has been a great success, and a wonderful project to be part of,” continued Mr. DaSilva. “I attribute the tour’s success to the mutual cooperation and ‘can do’ attitudes of both VA and Mobius staff.”
To learn more about VA’s life-long continuum of services for veterans with a spinal cord injury or disorder, visit https://www.sci.va.gov/. To learn how to partner with VA, visit https://www.va.gov/scsp/.
To learn more about Mobius Mobility, and how iBOT® PMDs may benefit people with disabilities, please visit https://www.mobiusmobility.com or call 1-833-346-4268.
