Beginning in 2004 as a small, Waco-based company with three employees serving a modest group of local clients, United Rehab Specialists (URS) has become the largest supplier of complex rehabilitation equipment in North and Central Texas. With more than 90 employees in its Waco, Dallas and Austin offices, URS now services approximately 10,000 clients along the I-35 corridor.

 URS specializes in complex rehab equipment, including power wheelchairs, standers, gait trainers and custom-molded seating and positioning devices, as well as overhead rail-lift systems and medical supplies.

The majority of its clients are children with disabilities resulting from spinal cord injuries or various neuromuscular diseases such as cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis. Each client requires unique assistive technology products that are precisely tailored to meet their individual needs.

“Our clients have significant physical challenges,” said Rick Hagelstein, CEO of URS. “And we have a passion to do whatever we can to improve their situation. It is our mission to make a difference in their lives by giving them mobility and independence through our services.”

Fortunately, technological advancements in complex rehab have skyrocketed in recent years. Power wheelchairs now feature an assortment of steering options known as “alternative drive devices.”

For instance, with a Sip-N-Puff system, the client sips and puffs on a pneumatic tube to control the speed and direction of the wheelchair. With Tongue Touch, a keypad is built into a mouthpiece and acts as a remote control when touched by the user’s tongue.

Head Array setups use switches mounted inside the headrest that are activated by head movement. And with an Eyegaze system, users can interact with their environment using only their eyes, thanks to a special computer that tracks eye movements and converts those gazes into written and spoken words.

In addition to these alternative drive devices, today’s power wheelchair can be outfitted with environmental controls that can adjust room temperature, turn lights on and off, lock and unlock doors, change television channels and enable the client to communicate with others through adaptive voice synthesizing aids.

Some power wheelchairs are even outfitted with a mechanism that allows them to wheel around in an upright standing position. Thus, people with physical limitations are able to function and move in ways that were previously impossible.

URS is also the only licensed residential dealer in Texas authorized to sell and install the Human Care overhead rail-lift system (ORLS). The ORLS is a unique apparatus that works in almost any setting. Supported by a ceiling-mounted rail, a motorized sling effortlessly transfers patients in and out of bed, chairs and bathtubs, as well as throughout the home.

These lifts are the safest and healthiest method of transportation for both client and caregiver, and URS has installed hundreds of lifts in homes, schools and hospitals across the state.

In addition to mobility solutions, URS provides medical supplies – such as feeding pumps, formula, urological/incontinence products and respiratory devices – to roughly 650 patients on a monthly basis.

Instead of holding clients responsible for keeping track of their personal supply needs, URS contacts each patient every month before ordering to ensure the correct size, quantity and brands are delivered.

Clients also routinely receive free samples of various products so they can select which type works best for their individual needs.

But what truly sets URS apart from other complex rehab companies is its steadfast dedication to excellent customer service. While many suppliers are out of the equation once the product has been delivered to the patient, URS sees each client as a lifelong commitment.

“I am a 66-year-old paraplegic who has used a wheelchair for mobility since the age of 20,” said Ralph, a URS client from Dallas. “I have used many different providers in the past with mixed results. But I have never had any other provider take such an interest in me and my mobility needs and work as hard to meet them as URS does.”

Austin resident and foster parent, Tiffany, agrees.

“United Rehab goes above and beyond for their customers,” she said. “I have foster children, and they all require specialized supplies and equipment, and URS goes out of their way to ensure that their every need is met in a timely and efficient manner.

“Their customer service is phenomenal, and they treat you like part of their family rather than just a client.”

Outside of the office, the URS team enjoys participating in various charities benefitting their clientele. For the past five years, the company has helped raise more than $120,000 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association as the founding sponsor of the Clyde Martin Memorial Golf Tournament.

“I consider myself lucky to be involved in such a rewarding business,” Hagelstein said. “We delight in changing our clients’ lives by giving them freedom from their disabilities. But the real truth is, they change and impact our lives just as much.”

To learn more about United Rehab Specialists, visit www.united-rehab.net. To contact a member of the URS team, call 888-295-4690, or send an email to customerservice@united-rehab.net.