Idan Sims

Sims & Associates, Inc

212 725-3838

October 2, 2008--Knoxville, TN--Kix Brooks headlines a benefit concert for the Amputee Coalition of America and the Mending Limbs Organization on Sunday, October 12, from 3 to 6 p.m., in Jamison Hall at The Factory at Franklin in Franklin, Tennessee.

Individual tickets are $100, which includes hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, in addition to live performances by Kix Brooks, Jennifer Hanson, Baillie and the Boys, Nashville Star contestant Joshua Stevens, Sutton Parks, Todd Sansom and more.

“The October 12 benefit concert will raise money for the Amputee Coalition of America to support its initiatives to pass legislation requiring health insurers in Tennessee and other states to provide meaningful coverage for prosthetic care,” said Kendra Calhoun, CEO of the Amputee Coalition of America, headquartered in Knoxville.

“A state law will ensure that amputees with health insurance have access to the prosthetic care they need to lead full and independent lives,” said Ms. Calhoun.

Ms. Calhoun will describe the mission of the nonprofit Amputee Coalition at the benefit concert, which is also made possible by the Liberty United Methodist Church of Brentwood.   

“We are very grateful to Kix Brooks and the other singers performing at the October 12 benefit concert,” she said.

The concert also benefits the Mending Limbs Organization, which is establishing a foundation to provide funding for prosthetic care for amputees in Tennessee whose health insurers severely limit coverage for prosthetic limbs.

There are nearly 2 million individuals living with limb differences or loss in the United States, including 70,000 under the age of 18. On average, each year 155,000 people in the United States lose a limb.

“Insurance parity legislation in Tennessee would save the government and taxpayers money by preventing cost shifting for prosthetic care from the health insurance companies to programs such as Medicare and Medicaid,” said Ms. Calhoun.

“Such legislation will enable people with limb loss to return to work and help them reclaim their lives at no cost to taxpayers,” she added.

Federal bills requiring insurance parity for prosthetic care were recently introduced in the U.S. Senate and in the House of Representatives with sponsorship from several Tennessee lawmakers, Ms. Calhoun said.

For more information on the Franklin concert and to purchase tickets, please visit the Mending Limbs Organization’s Web site: www.mendinglimbs.com. Jamison Hall Factory of Franklin is located at 230 Franklin Road.