Both medical and non-medical volunteers are a crucial part of our team. They are involved at every step of the way and perform a wide variety of tasks. The participation of both medical and non-medical volunteers at the Guatemala Healing Hands Foundation is what makes it possible for us to reach our goals. The programs we are able to operate with generous contribution and volunteer effort include Direct Service Care, Educational Conferences & Workshops, and Community Development.
Direct Service Care
150-200 children are evaluated by our volunteer surgeons and therapists to determine their best treatment plan. On average 55 to 65 children will receive surgery.
Children that are not required to have surgery are either scheduled for therapy sessions or asked to return the subsequent year for follow-up and observation.
Due to our unique infrastructure and focus in the Guatemala community, we are able to monitor children year after year to insure they receive the best possible consistent care.
Surgical patients are provided with both in and outpatient care with costs covered 100% by GHHF. Patients are given a clean bed to sleep in and three meals a day during their stay.
Once a patient is discharged, families receive detailed instructions explaining how to schedule local follow-up care as well as customized therapy home care instructions.
GHHF encourages each patient to return the next year to allow for our volunteer surgeons to reevaluate their progress and determine if any additional surgery or therapy is needed.
Throughout the year, volunteer surgeons receive follow-up reports from the physicians in Guatemala who oversee our patients.
If a patient needs additional tests or care that we cannot provide in Guatemala, the process to bring the child to the United States is initiated.
We facilitate the transportation of biopsies from Guatemala to the US in order to provide the patient with the most accurate test results.
Educational Conferences & Workshops
Connecting Collaborators
In collaboration with the Guatemala Hand Surgery Association, the American Association for Hand Surgery (AAHS), American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), Touching Hands Project (THP), and the newly formed Guatemala Hand Therapy Society, GHHF coordinates a one-day bilingual symposium for Guatemalan surgeons, therapists, and students.
workshops & lectures
Our lectures and workshops cover a variety of topics from flexor tendon repairs to nerve injuries as well as our most popular orthotic hands-on workshops. Speakers include both American and Guatemala professionals. We are proud to highlight MD’s who are the best in their fields, such as renowned hand surgeon Scott Kozin (former AAHS President, Shriners Hospital for Children) Rebecca Neiduski, dean of the School of Health Sciences at Elon University, and distinguished physician Steven Shelov (Associate Chief of Staff at Cohen Children’s Medical Center and former Chairman of Pediatrics at Maimonides Medical Center and Lutheran Medical Center).
Expert Training Opportunities
GHHF volunteer therapists continue to provide five days of hands-on training through various site visits and workshops. Locations include both public and private facilities and local universities. Along the way, volunteers donate costly plastic material used to fabricate customized patient orthotics.
Community Development
GHHF’s newest initiative was developed in response to Guatemala’s malnutrition, lack of prenatal care, inadequate education and poor living conditions. These major concerns for the fast-growing population of Guatemala are often the causes of the birth defects and injuries seen in our rural patients.
In an effort to provide preventative care to the people of Guatemala, GHHF has partnered with the village of Chichoy Alto, in the region of Patzun, Chimaltenango, to improve sanitation, health, education, and the overall quality of life for the 900+ community members.
GHHF’s goal is to support sustainable development initiatives to improve health and education through the principles of participatory community development. This means community members of Chichoy Alto are required to collaborate and provide a portion of the labor necessary to implement these improvements.
While we remain dedicated to providing hand surgery, therapy and education in Guatemala, we can’t ignore the source of why so many children have serious hand conditions and injuries. By caring for one town at a time, we can build and monitor progress.
