Austin, Texas (PRWEB) May 09, 2017
Texas Ramp Project was presented today with the 2017 Texas Outstanding Service Award by the Texas Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Council.
About the Award
The mission of the Texas Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and Stroke Council is to educate, inform and facilitate action among Texans to reduce the human and financial toll of cardiovascular disease and stroke. The Texas Outstanding Service Award is presented yearly to the organization that best epitomizes that goal.
About the Texas Ramp Project
Texas Ramp Project (TRP) is a volunteer non-profit, non-denominational, non-governmental organization that builds wheelchair ramps for elderly and disabled people in financial need. TRP grew out of the Dallas Ramp Project established by the Richardson Kiwanis 30 years ago. In 2006 John Laine, then manager of the Dallas Project, expanded the model across the state. Ramp projects have now been established in 31 Texas regions serving 190 Texas counties. TRP has constructed over 12,000 ramps.
TRP’s innovative business model of using volunteer labor has held the average cost of a ramp to about $600, less than a third the cost of a ramp built by a for-profit builder. The ramps have brought improved quality of life, independence and safety to the clients and eased the burden on their caregivers, often elderly spouses. Ramps also allow clients to remain in their homes. A $600 wheelchair ramp can save taxpayers up to $80,000 a year for maintaining that client in a nursing facility at public expense. For more information on the TRP, please visit http://www.texasramps.org.
About the Texas Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke Council
The Texas Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and Stroke Council was enacted by the 76TH legislature and consists of 11 Governor appointed members charged with: developing an effective and resource-efficient plan to reduce CVD and stroke in Texas, conduct health education, public awareness, and community outreach, improve access to treatment, coordinate activities among agencies within the state, provide guidance regarding roles and responsibilities of government agencies, develop a database of recommendations for treatment and care, collect and analyze information related to CVD and stroke and make written recommendations to the legislature and advise on legislation. For more information on the Council, please visit: https://www.dshs.texas.gov/heart/Texas-Council-on-Cardiovascular-Disease-and-Stroke.aspx.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
J Neal Rutledge, MD FACR
Chair TCCVDS
(512) 658-2501
nrutledge(at)austin.rr.com
Ron Martin
Area Coordinator Texas Ramp Project
(512) 761-8894
trp.atc.operations(at)gmail.com