Physicians for Peace and AT Home Care, Inc Hold 6th Annual Limb Drive in Richmond, VA, on Saturday, June 7th

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NORFOLK, VA (05/21/2008)(readMedia)-- Physicians for Peace and AT Home Care, Inc are holding their 6th annual Limb Drive on Saturday, June 7th to collect new and used prosthetic limbs and braces for amputees in developing countries. The event, which takes place from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm in the parking lot of the Richmond Diamond at 3001 North Boulevard, is sponsored by AT Home Care, Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics Inc., and Virginia Commonwealth University's Physical Therapy Department, along with Physicians for Peace. Prosthetic limbs and orthotic devices will be collected from hospitals, physical therapists and amputees from all over the country. The prosthetics are then disassembled and used for the Physicians for Peace Walking Free program in developing countries such as Jordan, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Turkey, Guatemala and Philippines.

These old prosthetics are not legally able to be reused in the U.S., so they are often stored in attics or closets. Fortunately, the materials with which they are built are extremely durable and allow them to be reconstructed to fit the many amputee victims abroad. The Walking Free program was developed by AT Home Care’s internationally renowned physical therapist, David A. Lawrence, in 2002, by partnering with Physicians for Peace, to provide the much needed equipment and, also, to set up sustainable rehabilitation centers in these countries. The support that the group provides to reach this goal of long-term sustainability includes education and training, patient care, business support, and assistance with access to supplies including donated components.

To date, the annual Limb Drive has collected almost 1 million dollars worth of equipment and is the only such event in the country. “This is a wonderful way to reuse these devices and help those who would otherwise not have the chance to become independent and functioning members of their community”, exudes Lawrence. “It also creates jobs for people whose chances of employment are very limited. Your donation could change the life of an amputee living in another part of the world."

ABOUT AT Home Care: AT Home Care is the largest, full service, independent home health care agency in Virginia with branches in Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, Tri Cities and Richmond.

ABOUT PHYSICIANS FOR PEACE: Physicians for Peace is an international private voluntary organization that mobilizes healthcare educators to assist developing nations with unmet medical needs and scarce resources. Through effective, hands-on medical education and training, clinical care and donated medical supplies, Physicians for Peace creates long-term, sustainable, replicable, and evidence-based projects to help partner nations build medical capability and capacity to help themselves. Volunteers for the 501©(3) nonprofit organization have conducted medical missions in more than 50 countries. More information is available at www.physiciansforpeace.org.

PHOTO (Walking Free 1 - version 2.JPG) Donated prosthetic limbs are shipped from the US to developing nations as part of the Physicians for Peace Walking Free program. Photo Credit: Photo© 2008 by Stephen M. Katz

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