RockTape sponsors student mission trips every year. Last year, we sponsored a group of second year New York Medical College DPT students on their way to Haiti, where they treated remote locals in a mobile clinic. Here’s their story.
“Our main goal while in Haiti was to treat patients in the Tous Ensemble Fonten Clinic in the city of Les Cayes, but we also spent some time treating at the Mother Teresa Orphanage, dealing with children with neurological conditions like Cerebral Palsy. We gave some well-received in-services to the nuns and aides during our mission too.
Upon arrival, we divided into two groups and treated from two mobile clinics: one up in the mountain in the city of Rei and another on the island of Ile A Vache which are both far removed from medical access. We treated a myriad of conditions, screened for blood pressure, educated (when deemed necessary), and fitted wheelchairs for these communities.
All of our pro bono work was orchestrated by Consuelo, the wonderful woman who runs the Fonten clinic in Les Cayes. Five foot four, olive skinned, friendly eyes, and even friendlier hugs, Consuelo is well-known in Les Cayes. With the help of her lovely staff, she serves the community at large by offering PT and OT services, group therapy and exercise sessions, prosthetics and orthotics, serial casting for clubfoot corrections, delivery and fitting of assisted devices, home visits and family programs, as well as training for national rehabilitations technicians to name a few. In addition, they do tons of outreach programs for their community and less fortunate surrounding communities.
It was so special to be a part of what this non-profit NGO does, and to be able to offer RockTape products as well as in-services on how to use the products for their patients with an array of different conditions.
One of our favorite experiences in Haiti was the in-service we gave to the staff at Fonten, which included tutorial for the various uses of RockTape – for swelling, discomfort*, muscular activation, and posture. The staff took lots of pictures and videos during the in-service, eager to learn everything they can about the new products we brought them. The staff practiced using tape throughout the week, and we assisted in showing them different ways to apply it. We even translated the instructional insert that accompanies RockTape into Creole for the staff to keep for reference.
At the Tous Ensemble Clinic in Les Cayes we treated patients with all kinds of conditions, from pediatric and adult neuro, to numerous musculoskeletal conditions. The staff as well as the patients we saw welcomed us with open arms. Here were the main uses for RockTape in the clinic:
- Deactivation of hyperactive calf muscles in a child with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)
- Swelling
- Lymphatic drainage of lower extremities post lymphatic filariasis
- Lymphatic drainage of swollen hemiparetic limbs
- Arch support for children with mild clubfoot
- Achilles tendinopathy
- Upper trap deactivation
- Postural correction
Some of the neck related discomfort* and posture dysfunction we treated could be due to the heavy loads this population routinely carries on their heads. In addition, we hypothesized that a lot of the swelling we saw could be due to the hypertension and stroke epidemic we found in the area. Finally, the influx of neurological conditions we observed, specifically in children, could be because access to healthcare is scarce in Haiti and Fonten is the only rehabilitation center in the area. We loved our trip to Haiti, serving those in need.
Thank you RockTape for your generous donations!”
– The Haiti Group of PT Students from NYMC
For updates, follow the Tous Ensemble Fonten Clinic on Instagram.