In this week's LTC Connection, we're excited to tell you about an inspiring event that Team ProMed is proud to support. We're also giving you a heads-up on some disturbing reports about Medicare Part D rebate scammers and inviting you to take a look at our Respiratory Care Management product category. Last but not least, we want to remind you that our office will be closed on Thursday, August 5 and Friday, August 6.

The Second Annual Barnes Foundation 5K Walk/Run for Life will be held on August 28 in New Lenox, Illinois. We hope you'll consider joining us for this community-wide event! The Barnes Foundation was established by Terry Barnes, ProMed's founder and president, as a way to give back to the community. Last year, the inaugural Walk for Life raised more than $30,000 for the American Cancer Society's Illinois Patient Navigation Services. The donation was matched by the Duchossois Family Foundation for a combined donation of $60,000, which helped to fund Road to Recovery, a program that provides transportation to patients who need assistance getting to cancer treatments. The 5K walk/run will be followed by a family fun festival that is open to the community. The celebration will feature games, prizes, entertainment, face painting, food, DJ, a silent auction and more. If you can't join us, we hope you'll consider making a donation. You can donate through PayPal with a few simple clicks on www.barnes-foundation.org. Every donation brings us closer to our dream of a cancer-free tomorrow! To learn more about the event and register to join us, please click here. Professional Medical will be closed Thursday, August 5 and Friday, August 6 for physical inventory and systems upgrades. Orders placed after Friday, July 30 will be delivered the week of August 9. Please call our customer service department at 800.648.5190 with any questions or concerns. The new healthcare law will close the Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage "donut hole" by 2020. The first step toward this goal is sending $250 checks to eligible seniors to help offset their costs. And, as is the case for so many recipients of good things, scammers are waiting in the wings to cheat seniors out of their checks. Seniors on Medicare don't have to do anything to receive the $250 rebate checks - they're mailed out as soon as the recipients become eligible - but that isn't stopping scammers from posing as Health and Human Services personnel and calling seniors to request personal information that they say is required in order to process the checks. According to the Indiana Association of Area Agencies on Aging (IAAAA), scammers have been asking for information such as a Social Security or Medicare number or a signature. If seniors receive a call from a scammer, they should take down the caller's name and telephone number (using caller ID, if possible) and report the call to 1-800-MEDICARE. To view our original blog posting on Medicare Part D scammers, click here. Our goal is for you and your residents to breathe easier with our complete line of respiratory products. This product category includes: 1. Aerosol, Oxygen Equipment and Supplies 2. Trache Equipment and Supplies 3. Suctioning, Drainage Equipment and Supplies 4. CPAP and Bi-PAP Supplies 5. Vent Supplies If you're a registered user on promedsupply.com, you can view items in this category by clicking on Online Catalog and then selecting Respiratory Care Management. If you're not registered on the site yet, your ProMed Customer Care Professional will be happy to get you set up.