Sunday, June 18, 2017

TRAINING NATIONALS UPDATE



Training Nationals to be Therapists continue to be a BIG passion and calling of mine. This year has been full of opportunities to contribute to this area. Starting in January I had 3 young men come for 10 weeks to the Miriam Center and do their level 2 clinical's for their Rehab Tech Degree and then in March I had 2 Young women come to do the same. Both of those group of students had the opportunity to work at STAND. The first set of students got to go to PAP to help at New Life children's Home and the second set of students got to help with PHOENIX RISING. This week my third set of students started. I have 1 student for 10 weeks  and 2 rehab tech volunteers for 3 months coming to get specialized training in pediatrics to help them get jobs in the future.
My first 3 students of the year plus my 2 Therapy Staff


I am planning on hiring 2 more Rehab Technicians to work at the Miriam Center in August. I am praying and looking for the right 2 people. Please join me in praying I will find the right 2 to join our Miriam Center team!



During the weak of STAND I had a wonderful group of Rehab Technicians working with me. I had my 2 Staff Bernadette and Monise. I also had my 2 Rehab Tech Students from LLU/UNAH Phoebe & Jenny. I also had 2 Rehab Techs that came to volunteer & get more pediatric experience Yvon and Erland.


During the week of STAND I had the wonderful opportunity of going to the Island of Tortuga with my therapy staff. It was a great time to get to know them better and just have fun together. With such a busy schedule we don't have a lot of time to just have fun. It is definitely a day I will treasure. I even convinced them to jump off a boat with me ;-P





-TEACHING AT FSRL
I had the wonderful opportunity of teaching the first year OT & PT students at FSRL (Facultè des Sciences de Rèhabilitation) in Leogane Haiti for their course Introduction to Adaptive Equipment. I enjoyed sharing a wide arrange of adaptive equipment both OT and PT's use as well as how many of these pieces of equipment that are not easily available in Haiti can be made.





CEU COURSE
 I am thankful that the same week I was down in Leogane teaching their was an opportunity to attend a Continuing Education Course on Neurological Conditions And Their Treatment. It was taught by Shirley Celestin an OT that was born in Haiti but at a young age moved to the United States. Her daughter Nichole is a PT and was in Leogane for a month teaching a course on the spine. It was a privilege and Joy getting to know them both. We had about 21 participants in the 2 day course. We all learned a lot and enjoyed getting to meet other people in rehabilitation from different parts of Haiti.


Our Instructor Shirley and her daughter

A new OT friend I met at the class. Norma has been living in Haiti for years
and runs a pediatric and adult therapy clinic in Tabarre, Haiti (around PAP).
 I am very interested in visiting some day!

This is Carman an OT from Canada. She is helping to develop clinical education program
for FSRL as that is what she is over at a University in Quebec. Really enjoyed
getting to know her over the week I was there. 

Janet is the Dean of FSRL. An AMAZING OT that has sacrificed
so much to get OT going in Haiti!


Most Everyone who attended the CEU Course on Neuro diagnosis and treatment


Some of the Rehab Techs that I know from LLU/UNAH Program
so good to catch up and see them!



INTERVIEWING AND  HELPING FIND JOBS
I came down to PAP early in May for the purpose of interviewing some Rehab Technicians that have yet to find work. The main purpose was to help hire 2 Rehab Technicians for New Life Children's Home. I have had multiple organizations who are beginning to seek out pediatric rehab technicians in preparation for starting programming for their special needs kids in orphanage settings. I have been able to help place 3 of the 7 rehab techs Erin and I interviewed. The others need some more training in pediatrics prior to placement. 2 came up and were able to volunteer for the 2 weeks of STAND and gain some more experience. I have also created a volunteer opportunity for this summer at the mission for 2 Rehab Technicians so far I have 1 confirmed and still working to fill other spot.  During the 3 months we will be going through a pediatric training curriculum that I have written. It was also a blessing to visit my friend (and fellow CTEN missionary's) Therapy Clinic in PAP. I loved getting to see her in action and to learn from her. I was able to help her make some hand splints for some of her stroke patients and I got to learn about her group stroke exercise class and participate. It was a great few days together!


The name of Erin's Clinic

Participating and learning about her Stroke Group Exercise class. 

Her clinic inside. Minus her amazing workshop space she has!

Enjoying a day in PAP together with YUMMY FAjita's and swimming pool. 


NICHOLSON and ESTEPHYOLE UPDATE
Nicholson and Estephyole continue to be working and studying hard at FSRL. Nicholson is going for his bachelors PT degree and Estephyole for her bachelors OT degree. They are both very active in AHE/HAOT the Haiti Association for Occupational Therapy. They are finishing up their first year of classes. It has been a very challenging year. They have had 16 classes at the same time all year long! I honestly don't know if I could do it. But they are dedicated and super hard working and are determined to succeed. I don't know if I have met anybody else as passionate as these 2 are about therapy. I am still trying to raise $200 per month to help them out with their schooling costs. The have received a partial scholarship through the university but still have to find the funds for housing and food and everyday things. If you would consider becoming a $10 or $25 a month sponsor for them please let me know and then CLICK HERE to set up a recurring donation.











AHE/HAOT UPDATE

We had an AWSOME turn out for our last meeting with 10 of us! It was BIG and important meeting. We Vision planned for the next 1 year, 2 years and 5 years! I have to say I absolutely LOVE this amazing group of individuals God brought together to start OT in Haiti. I love that we has as many nationals present and involved as expats. At the end of the meeting we elected new officers for this year. We did it in a way that for every office held their is a Rehab Tech Assistant (which currently is by all Expats as we have don't have graduates from the new school yet). I am excited that we will be mentoring and raising up nationals to soon take over. We were blessed to have Carman from Sherbrook University from Canada with us. At the end of the meeting she encouraged us saying she remembers 40 years ago when Canada was at the same place we are at in Haiti and she was sitting at her kitchen table with just 4 OTs vision planning. She shared that now there is 140 OTs in Canada! 

I also am EXCITED to share that I have put in an Abstract for a poster at WFOT  (World Federation Of OT) Congressional Meetings in South Africa next May (2018). My Abstract is about my outreach program and orphan prevention. Keeping kids with families. I will need to raise about $4,000 to go represent Haiti at the conference the first week and the council meetings the second week. I am so EXCITED to spend 2 weeks with Its from around the world! It is our goal to take a national to the WFOT council meetings. We applied and received 1 plane ticket from the WFOT and now we are applying for a conference free entrance fee coverage.

I am really EXCITED to see what God has in store for this year and AHE/HAOT!



We had a GREAT turn out at our meeting 10 of us. 2 skipping in 1 from the south of Haiti and 1 from Florida. 

Our New TREASURER's
Nicholson and Diana
Our New President
Consuelo and Martha

Our New Secretary
Ashley and Emerson

Our New Vice President
Autumn and Stephyole

Our WFOT Delegates
Consuelo- Delegate
Autumn- Alternate Delegate
Ashley- 2nd Alternate Delegate

Phoenix Rising

Shortly after I got back from the states I had the wonderful opportunity of partnering with Phoenix Rising. They are a Therapy team that comes into PdP 3x a year bringing Physical Therapist's, Orthotist, Prosthetist, and Medical volunteers and run a clinic seeing around 100 patients a day. They were in town for 2 weeks. I rotated my therapy staff getting the chance to volunteer/serve alongside them that way everything at the Miriam Center could keep running. This was a great opportunity for my therapy staff to learn from other therapists especially in the realm of Adults. The second week they had a pediatric therapists come and I was able to call in some of the outreach kids each day. It was a great 2 weeks. Another highlight of these 2 weeks for me was having my friend Luke come during his spring break from medical school and volunteer for a week in the medical clinic. 

One of my students learning

Re-locating an ankle


My staff and students learning

Bernadette helping put on a brace

This sweet girl had pain/swelling in her elbow
We were able to help her with some kinesiotape
and compression


A girl getting a prosthetic leg



This sweet girl came in with a contracture in
her knee and so we made a splint to provide
prolonged stretching


Luke helping Dr. Lubin in the medical clinic

Week 1 Team!

The AMAZING view from the STAND building there we were staying







1 new skill I learned is how to make night splints for patients
with bow legs



Charles had major club foot surgery in October
and is in the final stages of healing. It was a
very long road to recovery but makes my
heart so happy!

Gilbert came down because he was having pain in his arm.
He has a little tendonitis going on. 


Wadley also came down to get help with his walking.
He is recovery from a fall and being in a cast for 6 weeks.
His situation is complicated because he has MD. One thing
he does not lack is motivation and a great smile!



Charles running around in his walking cast. Makes
my heart so happy!

Gilbert with his buddy and cool ride back to the mission

Nicole the AWSOME Pediatric  PT working with 1 of the kiddos
















This little boy got a prosthetic leg for the first time!
This opportunity opens up a whole new world of possibilities. 






Awesome Week 1 and some of them stayed for week 2 Medical Team



Monise helping to make a pair of night splints for bow legs


This sweet women had a fascinating problem with her hand and
welcomed all of us checking it out and multiple Pos
working with her. All with a big smile on. 













Absolutely loved getting to love on Sammy for a few minutes








This little boy was so sweet. He loved the bubbles






The AWSOME Week 2 Pediatric TEAM! 



SALSA DANCING! We had fun going Salsa Dancing both Thursday's with the team



Friday Morning of the Last week was Parent Education. My Staff and Students did a GREAT job helping with this. 





LUKE got to spend 1 day at my place and meet my kids and hang out. Walden LOVED every minute of Saturday morning that Luke played the IPAD with him :-) We had a nice relaxing night watching a movie, eating popcorn and brownies after dinner.