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Tony Barr, 1947–2007: A Passion for Positive Change
By Jack Richmond
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Tony Barr, 1947-2007 |
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Tony Barr was my friend and advocate.
I met Tony in 1992 when I was the president of the local amputee support group in Orlando, Florida. I needed money to fund the purchase of a leg for an amputee who had no means to pay for it. At that time in Florida, there were many amputees who "fell through the cracks" between private insurance and Medicare/Medicaid. Tony couldn't believe such a gap of coverage existed in our state or even our country. He said, "First we'll take care of the amputee, then we'll fix the problem."
That was the way Tony approached everything he did to improve the lives of amputees. When an amputee approached us for help later that year because the leg someone had made him in a garage out of spare parts didnt fit, Tony had seen enough. He dove headlong into the battle for licensure in the state of Florida.
Tony's passion for amputees was rooted in two events in his life: his father's loss of a leg in a car explosion and Tony's own loss of his forefoot in a train mishap several years later. Tony's father, William G. Barr, was in constant pain after his amputation, and searched for years to find relief. The solution to his pain was found in an advanced revision surgery for his amputated leg. The surgery, called the Ertl procedure, and a properly fitting socket design were the inspiration that led Tony's father to open the Institute for the Advancement of Prosthetics in Lansing, Michigan. The Ertl procedure has since helped hundreds of amputees function at a much higher level and live pain free.
Helping Others
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Jack Richmond |
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When William Barr died, the Institute was sold and the proceeds were put into a charitable foundation to benefit amputeesThe Barr Foundation. Tony and I made a presentation to the board of directors of the Barr Foundation in 1994, and the Barr Assistance Fund was born. To date, the fund has provided limbs through sponsoring prosthetists to more than 1,200 amputees. Tony was always quick to point out that while the fund contributes money for component parts and a fee for fitting, the real heroes are the prosthetists who donate their skill and resources to make all of this possible.
Tony carried his passion to help amputees with him on several prosthetic missions outside the United States. After seeing the need for components on one such mission, he began to collect used prosthetic devices and recycle their component parts for use on future missions. The effort was later expanded to include surplus and cosmetically imperfect parts from manufacturers. A warehouse full of collected and recycled component parts for future missions is a testimony to Tony's vision of a better life for amputees in developing countries.
Advocate for Amputees
The OANDP-L Listserve was Tony's soapbox. His thought-provoking postings got him into hot water with the status quo of the O&P community more than once. Tony didn't have all the answers, but he knew how to get people talking about the problems. Tony wasn't one to stand by and let the gears of bureaucracy meter out justice; they turned too slowly for him. If Tony seemed to lack patience, it was for good reason. He once told me the longest hours of an amputees life are those spent waiting for a limb or wearing one that causes pain.
Tony was one of the few consumers on the Negotiated Rulemaking Committee. The committee was formed to establish a consensus on qualification standards for providers of O&P services under the Medicare program.
Although consensus was not reached within the committee, many of the things Tony fought hard for on the committee were later included in the qualification standards for Medicare providers. Tony believed in high educational standards for practitioners. State licensure for O&P practitioners was a cause he supported with words and actions. When Tony started pushing for states to enact licensure laws, they did not exist. With 12 states now having enacted licensure laws, the movement is sweeping across the country.
Tony Barr was my friend, and I will miss him, not only as a friend, but also as an advocate for amputees. He knew our struggle firsthand; he fought hard and never gave up believing that making the world a better place for amputees would make it a better place for everyone. 
Table Of Contents - May 2007
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