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Hanger Clinic Launches Nationwide CARE Network To Connect Parents and Infants With Experienced Cranial Remolding Specialists

03/23/2021

AUSTIN, Texas – Mar. 23, 2021 – To help parents find expert care for babies with plagiocephaly (“flat head syndrome”) and similar conditions, Hanger Clinic has established the nation’s largest network of cranial remolding specialists. The CARE (Cranial Asymmetry Remolding Experts) Network includes more than 200 certified orthotists with extensive experience correcting babies’ head shapes using custom cranial remolding orthoses, or “cranial helmets.” These experts work at 260 clinics across the country, making it convenient for parents to find a specialist in their area.

Hanger Clinic developed the first clinical practice guidelines for treating plagiocephaly, which are used to evaluate the severity of a baby’s cranial asymmetry and educate parents about their care options. Treatment may range from environmental techniques (for example, more “tummy time”) for milder forms of asymmetry, to a personalized course of helmet treatment for moderate to severe cases, or when repositioning therapy is not enough to correct the head shape.

“At Hanger Clinic, we harness clinical research and data to drive successful patient outcomes,” said James Campbell, PhD, Hanger’s Chief Clinical Officer. “To ensure optimal care for our littlest patients, our certified orthotists collaborate with referring physicians and meet rigorous annual continuing education requirements. They also leverage their knowledge of musculoskeletal conditions and pediatric anatomy, and the experience of their peers in the CARE Network, to provide personalized, high-quality care for every patient.”

For babies in need of helmet treatment, Hanger Clinic’s specialists use advanced 3D scanning techniques to custom-mold helmets that their patients typically wear for 23 hours a day over the course of several months. Along the way, the specialist adjusts each baby’s helmet as their head grows more symmetrical, collects outcomes data regularly, and shares progress reports with the child’s parents and care team, including their pediatrician.

“The best part of my job is being able to see the joy and pride on a parent’s face when their child completes their cranial remolding journey and ‘graduates’ out of their helmet with a corrected head shape,” said Shannon O’Shea, CPO, Hanger Clinic Area Clinic Manager in Kansas City, and CARE Network expert, who has fit hundreds of cranial helmets over her career, and who recently spoke to TODAY.com alongside a mother of one of her patients about helmet treatment. “Being able to support families, demystify the unknowns, and educate them during the care process is deeply rewarding.”

About Hanger Clinic: Hanger Clinic, a subsidiary of Hanger, Inc. (NYSE: HNGR), owns and operates approximately 800 patient care clinics nationwide, where comprehensive, outcomes-based orthotic and prosthetic care is delivered. Rooted in nearly 160 years of clinical excellence and innovation, the certified clinicians of Hanger Clinic provide compassionate, expert care and customized solutions for all ages, designed to increase the mobility and function of each person we have the honor of serving. For more information on Hanger Clinic, visit www.HangerClinic.com. Follow us at www.Facebook.com/HangerNews, www.Twitter.com/HangerNews, www.Instagram.com/HangerNews, and www.YouTube.com/HangerNews.

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Krisita Burket, Hanger, Inc.
904-239-4627, kburket@hanger.com

Meghan Williams, Hanger, Inc.
512-777-3701, megwilliams@hanger.com

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