Berkeley Physical Therapist to Volunteer in Haiti

NORFOLK, VA (05/19/2011)(readMedia)-- The chief physical therapist at California Children Services in Alameda County will put her skills to work in Haiti this month during a two-week rotation at an amputee clinic. On behalf of Physicians for Peace (PFP), an international nonprofit based in Norfolk, Va., Susan Johnson, PT, will provide patient care and help train local technicians at the Hanger Clinic in Deschapelles.

"I see myself as an educator as much as a clinician," said Johnson, who has volunteered in Mexico since 1986 with in-country physical rehabilitation teams. "My main goal in going to Haiti was to find a group that trained people locally, because you want to be sure that when you leave, the patient care continues in a meaningful way. It doesn't feel good to create dependency."

In Haiti and around the world, Physicians for Peace has a history of focusing on education and working through partnerships. The group is a founding member of the Haitian Amputee Coalition, a public-private partnership with Albert Schweitzer Hospital, the Hanger Ivan R. Sabel Foundation, the Catholic Medical Mission Board, the Harold and Kayrita Anderson Family Foundation and the Shepherd Center, among others. Along with its partners, Physicians for Peace is working with Don Bosco University in El Salvador and Haiti's Ministry of Health to launch a distance learning program for Haitian prosthetic technicians. (A parallel track launched last year in the Dominican Republic.)

Johnson's mission is funded by grants from ChildFund International and the Major League Baseball Players Trust.

She will volunteer in Haiti from May 19 to June 4.

For more information, or to schedule an interview, please contact Mary Westbrook, mwestbrook@physiciansforpeace.org.

ABOUT PHYSICIANS FOR PEACE

Physicians for Peace transforms lives by training, supporting and empowering healthcare professionals working with the world's underserved populations. Through effective, hands-on medical education and training, clinical care and donated medical supplies, Physicians for Peace develops long-term, sustainable, replicable, and evidence-based programs to help partner nations build medical capability and capacity to help themselves. Since 1989 Volunteers for the 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization have conducted medical missions in more than 60 countries. Find us online at www.physiciansforpeace.org and www.facebook.com/physiciansforpeace. Follow us on Twitter, Physician4Peace.