“In the moment of need, the wise build bridges.” – African Proverb, Accra Airport
It is with great enthusiasm and gratitude that I announce Health Volunteer Overseas’ newly established project for hand therapy at Komfe Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi Ghana. The project was cultivated by Dr. Don LaLonde, former president of the American Association for Hand Surgery.
I had the honor of traveling to Ghana last summer as the 2014 AAHS Vargas Award recipient. I traveled with Peter Trafton, a trauma surgeon and the HVO Ghana project director, and HVO volunteer Heather Wood, OTR/L, CHT. We were there to teach and train the therapists at KATH, as well as evaluate the site as a potential HVO volunteer project site.
Ghana is a deeply faithful and stable democracy in West Africa. While it has advances over other countries in Africa, it is faced with significant challenges in medical and rehabilitative care. Physical and occupational therapy training programs in the country are in their infancy; however, my interaction with the therapists at KATH lead me to believe they are intelligent, dedicated, motivated professionals eager to learn and enhance their skills. This is what makes this new HVO endeavor a wonderful opportunity for any hand therapist looking to contribute to an international medical project.
If you are interested in this or other international medical projects, please go to www.hvousa.org for more information. In addition to being an ASHT member, consider becoming a member of AAHS. Membership has many advantages, including access to the journal HAND, scholarships to AAHS Annual Meeting, research grants and the Vargas International Hand Therapy Teaching Award.
Learn more about Gayle’s personal experience in Ghana in the next issue of AAHS’ quarterly newsletter, coming soon at http://handsurgery.org/newsletter.
Gayle Severance MS, OT/L, CHT
Hand Therapy Team Leader GSPP Penn Therapy and Fitness
HVO Ghana KATH Hand Therapy Project Co-Coordinator
AAHS 2014 Vargas Award Recipient
Former member ASHT International Committee