Alphapointe to produce military splint
Alphapointe announced a three-year, multi-million-dollar agreement with Tactical Medical Solutions to manufacture more than 150,000 groundbreaking splints to be distributed around the world.
The Richmond Hill-based organization is one of the nation’s largest providers of rehabilitation services and employment for people who are blind, Alphapointe developed RISE (Rigid Immobilization System for Extremities) in conjunction with the United States Army.
Tactical Medical Solutions of Anderson, South Carolina, will serve as a distributor for the splint to organizations and individuals around the world, including branches of the U.S. military and international military agencies.
The splints, which are also used by outdoor enthusiasts who engage in activities such as hiking and mountain climbing, will also be available to the general public.
“Alphapointe is incredibly proud to have developed these groundbreaking splints and we are delighted to begin production,” said Alphapointe President and CEO Reinhard Mabry. “For more than 100 years, Alphapointe has provided jobs and assistance to people who are blind and our team of dedicated employees is excited to begin making yet another product that will help the lives of people around the world.”
The RISE changes the landscape for the application of splints in triage situations, particularly in front line military settings. RISE units are significantly more lightweight and compact than predecessors, which will allow for non-medical personnel to carry the item and potentially administer critical treatments on the battlefield.
The RISE is also unique because it has the capability to be used for both limbs and pelvic stabilization, a feature not currently available with standard-issue splints in the U.S. military. Production began earlier this month and RISE is now available to the public through Tactical Medical Solutions at tacmedsolutions.com/rise.
The RISE is the fourth tactical/medical product developed by Alphapointe in the past five years. Previously produced items – largely used by branches of the U.S. military – include the Tactical Mechanical Tourniquet, the Tactical Pneumatic Tourniquet and the Junctional Hemorrhage Control Plate.
To date, Alphapointe has produced more than 250,000 life-saving tactical/medical devices, which has created sustainable jobs for more than 25 Americans, nearly half of whom are blind.
The development of these life-saving items has been led by a pair of U.S. veterans, director of Tactical & Medical Division, Christopher Kosiorek, and the organization’s vice president of Sales and Marketing, Ryan Williams. Kosiorek, the primary inventor of the RISE, is a retired Special Forces Medical Sergeant with multiple combat-related deployments and tours during 23 years of service. His final assignment was with the Concepts and Requirements Division at The Army Medical Department as a Combat Developer. Williams served as an Army Artillery Officer in the XVIII Airborne Corps.
