Below is a look at the hard work that takes place at the Hanger Clinic in Deschapelles, Haiti. To date, more than 350 Haitian amputees are walking tall with new prosthetic limbs created at the Clinic.
Jaw Tew is a Hanger Clinic 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, 2010 and lead the team that fit 350+ amputees with prosthetic limbs and orthotic braces before his rotation ended May 31, 2010.
He has since served several other terms as lead prosthetist at the clinic in Haiti.
Portland, Maine resident and Hanger Clinic prosthetist Chris Blades, CPO previously served as lead prosthetist at the Hanger prosthetics clinic at the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) in Deschapelles, Haiti.
Fully functional since February 22, 2010, the Hanger prosthetics clinic in Deschapelles has achieved notable success and outstanding patient outcomes under the leadership of members of the Haitian Amputee Coalition and several lead clinicians from Hanger including, John “Jay” Tew, from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Anna Avakian, from Atlanta, Georgia, Vern Hostetler from Zanesville, Ohio, Brandon Khoury from Quincy, Illinois, Spencer Mion from Englewood, Colorado, and David Kelly from Bellevue, Washington.
About Brandon Khoury, CPO, LPO
Quincy, Illinois resident and Hanger Clinic practice manager Brandon Khoury, CPO, LPO previously served as lead prosthetist at the Hanger prosthetics clinic at the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) in Deschapelles, Haiti.
About Vern Hostetler, CPO
Zanesville, Ohio resident and Hanger Clinic practice manager Vern Hostetler previously served as lead prosthetist at the Hanger prosthetics clinic at the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) in Deschapelles, Haiti.
About Anna Avakian, CPO
Atlanta, Georgia resident and assistant director of clinical and technical services at Hanger business unit SPS in Alpharetta, Georgia Anna Avakian previously served as the lead prosthetist at the Hanger prosthetics clinic at the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) in Deschapelles, Haiti.
Founded in 2009, the Hanger Ivan R. Sabel Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization and the philanthropic arm of Hanger, Inc. Led by Hanger’s former CEO Ivan R. Sabel, the Foundation’s mission is to enhance the productivity and quality of life for those who face physical challenges due to disease, war, or natural disasters, domestically and abroad, by supporting charitable organizations, programs, and volunteerism that improve human mobility. Those interested in supporting our mission can make financial donations and register to volunteer at http://www.hanger-sabelfoundation.org.
Following the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, the Hanger Ivan R. Sabel Foundation, in conjunction with its partners in the Haitian Amputee Coalition – the Harold & Kayrita Anderson Family Foundation, Physicians for Peace, the Catholic Medical Mission Board, medi, and Donald Peck Leslie, M.D. of the Shepherd Center – created a prosthetic and rehabilitation center in Haiti called the Hanger Clinic (a.k.a. Klinik Hanger). Klinik Hanger is located 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. The group also created a training program to educate local Haitians to become prosthetic clinicians and technicians for the provision of long-term care in Haiti. Staffed by U.S. prosthetic experts from Hanger, Inc. and its partners in the Haitian Amputee Coalition, in conjunction with local Haitian medical professionals, Klinik Hanger at HAS has been functional since Monday, February 22, 2010, and as of March 2012, more than 1,200 Haitian amputees have received prosthetic care at Klinik Hanger.
Consistent with the Foundation’s mission, this clinic is a sustainable program of medical care, training, education, and supplies for the people of Haiti.