Welcome to the “Hanger Haiti Relief” blog, developed as a way for our practitioners who are working in Haiti to communicate their experiences. A little background – On February 17, 2010, Hanger Orthopedic Group and its philanthropic organization the Hanger Ivan R. Sabel Foundation partnered with Physicians for Peace, Dr. Donald Peck Leslie of the Shepherd Center, and the Harold & Kayrita Family Foundation to create the Haitian Amputee Coalition (HAC) in response to the immense need in Haiti for prosthetic care since the earthquake devastation on January 12, 2010.Since then, the HAC has created a long-term prosthetic and rehabilitation center on-site at the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (HAS), an undamaged local hospital with a high clinical reputation located 60 miles from Port-au-Prince in Deschapelles, Haiti. This clinic will be a sustainable program of medical care, training, education, and supplies for the people of Haiti.
Staffed by U.S. prosthetic experts from Hanger Orthopedic Group and Physicians for Peace in conjunction with local Haitian medical professionals, the Haitian Amputee Coalition prosthetic and rehabilitation center at HAS is fully functional and, in its first week, has already fit local amputees with custom-designed prosthetic devices. More than 13,000lbs of prosthetic fabrication equipment and machinery have been shipped to Deschapelles to create this facility. A mobile prosthetic care unit donated by Otto Bock Healthcare, a global manufacturer of prosthetic products and services, will soon enable the delivery of care to those who are unable to be transported to HAS.
This blog will be from the perspective of John "Jay" Tew, CP (certified prosthetist) from Baton Rouge, LA. Jay is a Hanger practice manager and recipient of the Hanger Excellence Award for Clinical Leadership. Additionally, Tew was awarded the Louisiana Distinguished Civilian Service Award, the Louisiana National Guard’s highest civilian Medal of Honor for his service to wounded soldiers returning from the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Jay volunteered to serve a three-month term at HAS as lead prosthetist for the Coalition's patient care delivery. He arrived February 22 and has already fit several amputees with prosthetic limbs and orthotic braces.
In honor of full disclosure, the posts within this blog will be the voice and perspective of Jay Tew, sometimes typed directly by Jay himself, other times emailed or dictated by Jay and typed into the blog by members of the Hanger team in the United States. Transparency and accuracy are critical components of this blog; if the perspective or author changes, we will make note of it.
