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Fundacion Amistad has proposed a three year project to aid amputees and other folks with mobility problems caused by a variety of medical conditions. The Cuba-Rada Institute, solely responsible for making prosthetics for all of Cuba, has a variety of unique challenges, particularly involving the availability of components and certain materials. Prosthetic care (notably upper extremity), is far from perfected anywhere, despite what we may see on the Discovery Channel. We have proposed to develop the project as a cultural exchange, allowing prosthetists and engineers from Cuba and the US to benefit amputees in both countries by sharing the most effective solutions developed in each environment, and posing the challenges presented in each place to a fresh set of eyes.
The initial task of the project will be a fact finding mission to visit the Cuba-Rada Institute, initiate the exchange and document the challenges unique to Cuba. The Open Prosthetics Project (http://www.openprosthetics.org/) will be sending an engineer and a certified practitioner to accompany the fact-finding trip, as well as to assist in development of the longer program.
The personnel for the initial trip include:
Jonathan Kuniholm (Open Prosthetics)
Waldo O. Esparza, CP (Tampa Bay Prosthetics). Waldo is Cuban, an Amputee himself, and has already established a relationship with some of the key players in Cuba.
We will be joined by John Batzdorff, of the non-profit Prosthetika, which will be funding his trip. John has worked in Eastern Europe, Asia, and Latin America, and also had existing relationships with some of the folks in Cuba.
We will be further advised by Robert S. Kistenberg, MPH, C.P., FAAOP, of the Georgia Tech School of Applied Physiology, and The US Chapter of the International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics. Rob's experience in Central America and other overseas locations should also prove invaluable.
As we move forward, we will document our efforts and solicit ideas here, and welcome your contributions to our efforts.
