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ReWalk Robotics Ltd., which makes wearable devices for people with lower-limb disabilities, yesterday said it has donated a ReStore exo-suit to Brooks Rehabilitation in Jacksonville, Fla. The therapy team there will use the ReStore in a specialized Neuro Recovery Center to conduct gait-training sessions with patients seeking post-stroke rehabilitation.

Approximately 800,000 people per year suffer a stroke in the U.S., and about two-thirds of them survive and require rehabilitation, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a part of the National Institutes of Health.

For 50 years, Brooks Rehabilitation has provided physical rehabilitation services. The nonprofit organization operates one of the nation’s largest inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in the U.S., with 160 beds, one of the region’s largest home healthcare agencies, and over 40 outpatient therapy clinics. Brooks also includes a Center for Inpatient Rehabilitation in partnership with Halifax Health in Daytona Beach, the Brooks Rehabilitation Medical Group, and two skilled nursing facilities.

Brooks treats more than 55,000 patients each year. The healthcare system includes assisted living and memory care, as well as no-cost or low-cost community programs and services. In addition, it operates the Clinical Research Center, which specializes in research for stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury, and more to advance the science of rehabilitation.

ReStore to help Brooks patients

The ReStore wearable device is designed to be versatile and adaptable, allowing it to be used with a broader range of a clinic’s stroke rehabilitation patients than previous robotic technologies, claimed ReWalk Robotics.

“As a recognized leader in physical therapy for 50 years, Brooks sees technology not as a tool, but as a resource to help our clinicians achieve higher quality outcomes during a patient’s rehabilitation,” stated Robert McIver, PT, DPT, NCS, and director of clinical technology at Brooks Rehabilitation. “Thanks to this donation, we are able to offer our patients additional options for their stroke recovery.”

“Being able to offer robotic assistance devices is especially important for patients and clinicians during the COVID-19 crisis to help support public-health safety protocols,” said Larry Jasinski, CEO of ReWalk. “Our ReStore exo-suit is an innovative solution for stroke patients, and we’re happy to deliver the device to a leading national care center known for adopting advanced care solutions to help serve their patients.”

Exoskeletons begin to receive reimbursement approvals

Earlier this month, ReWalk Robotics announced the closing of an $8 million private share placement. The company had closed a public offering in February raising $7 million. It also entered into a contract with a German health insurer to allow eligible beneficiaries with spinal cord injuries to apply for procurement of a ReWalk 6.0 exoskeleton.

In addition, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued ReWalk the first healthcare reimbursement code for exoskeletons in October. The company has facilities in Marlborough, Mass.; Berlin; and Yokneam, Israel.