Amputees in Haiti
A used cast duplicating a patient's leg. Healing Hands Haiti (HHH) in Port Au Prince has been established for 12 years since 1999. Currently, HHH is constructing a new facility in Port Au Prince because their old clinic was destroyed from the earthquake. HHH provides physical therapy, counseling, prosthetics, and support for free or very little cost to Haitians. Their funding comes from private donations and organizations such as Handicap International, Mission Europeene Aide Humanitarian, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), American Red Cross, Newman's Own, Direct Relief International (DRI), SOROS Open Society Foundation, and USAID which pays for employees, doctors, supplies, and facilities. The motto of HHH is "to serve the people of Haiti is to enable them to help themselves." Thus, most of their employees are Haitians with very few foreign expats. Furthermore, HHH recruits and teaches young Haitian students prosthetic and orthotic skills and physical therapy in a specialized program that will enable them to earn a degree approved by World Health Organization.
Hanger Clinic in Deschapelles, 120km from Port Au Prince, had provided artificial limbs to more than 500 earthquake victims. The clinic also employs Haitians with few foreign specialists who volunteers two weeks at a time. On average, the clinic helps 40 patients per day with prosthetics, physical therapy, adjustment and repairs, and counseling for free. Their funding and support comes from Hanger Orthopedic Group, Hanger Ivan R Sabel Foundation, Hospital Albert Schweitzer (HAS) and private donations. Many patients travel hundreds of miles to the clinic to get treatment. The clinic arranges transportations and offers lodging for patients needing to stay longer.
