New Program Makes Prosthetics Available to All Haitian Children Who Lost Limbs in Earthquake

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Aug 04, 2010, 01:30 ET

Knights of Columbus partners with Medishare to provide physical therapy and prosthetic limbs

WASHINGTON, Aug. 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Knights of Columbus today announced that it will come to the aid of every Haitian child who lost a limb in the January earthquake that destroyed much of their country and claimed nearly a quarter of a million lives. Many thousands more were seriously injured, including hundreds of children who lost arms and legs in the tragedy.

The Knights of Columbus has taken a special interest in helping those injured in Haiti. Working in partnership with the Global Wheelchair Mission, the Knights have so far provided more than 1,000 wheelchairs to those injured, including many children. One thousand more wheelchairs are slated for delivery over the next several months, for a total of more than 2,200.

Today the Knights of Columbus announced a new program - "Hope for Haiti's Children" - to make assistance available to every child in Haiti who lost a limb in the earthquake. The Board of Directors of the Knights of Columbus approved a resolution last weekend that commits the organization to providing prosthetic limbs and therapy over the next two years for all the approximately 800 children who lost an arm or leg in the earthquake. The estimated cost of providing the prosthetic limbs and therapy is $1 million.

News conference participants included the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, Carl A. Anderson; Prof. Robert Gailey, PhD, PT, director of rehabilitation services for Medishare; Mike Corcoran, chief of prosthetics for Medishare; and Chris Lewis, president of the American Wheelchair Mission.

"Almost eight months after the devastating earthquake, we must not forget the children of Haiti, who still need our help, and who continue to be so greatly affected by this disaster," said Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. "We believe that this program for the injured children of Haiti will not only
alleviate their mobility issues in the near term, but also will provide real, concrete hope for their future."

Each child will receive three prosthetics and physical therapy over the course of a two-year treatment program. The program will be administered by Medishare, which operates the University of Miami/Medishare hospital in Port au Prince, and is the premier children's medical facility in Haiti.

SOURCE Knights of Columbus