Health Volunteers Overseas
Contact: Andrea Moody
Email: a.moody@hvousa.org
Phone: 202-296-0928 ext. 19
HVO Launches Wound and Lymphedema Management Program in
St. Lucia
[Washington, DC - July 28, 2009] -HVO, in conjunction with the Association for the
Advancement of Wound Care - Global Alliance, is pleased to announce the establishment of
a wound and lymphedema management program at St. Jude Hospital in Vieux Fort. St. Lucia
is a delightful island in the Caribbean with a population of around 162,000. The hospital has
110 beds with medical, surgical, maternity, and pediatric wards, 2 operating rooms, recovery
and intensive care rooms, an emergency room, a pharmacy, a laboratory, and a physical
therapy department.
Volunteers provide clinical and didactic training and educational materials to the hospital's
PTs, nurses, and physicians, who work cooperatively to care for wound patients. Common
wounds seen include diabetic foot ulcers, sickle cell ulcers, pressure ulcers, and venous leg
ulcers. Reports on the incidence of lymphedema are variable. Training includes preventative
care, basic wound care, differential diagnosis, and evaluation; community health worker
education; research methods; tracking incidence and prevalence data; and assisting with the
establishment of a diabetic foot clinic.
Active or retired physicians, nurses, podiatrists, physical and occupational therapists,
researchers, lymphedema specialists, orthotists and prosthetists, pedorthists, vascular
technicians and ultrasonagraphers, and other health care professionals who are specialized in
wound and lymphedema care are recruited. HVO will provide additional qualification
requirements to interested volunteers. HVO is seeking to recruit volunteers for one - two
week assignments.
A private, non-profit membership organization, HVO was founded in 1986 to improve global
health through education. HVO designs and implements clinical education programs in child
health, primary care, trauma and rehabilitation, essential surgical care, oral health, blood
disorders and cancer, infectious disease, and nursing education. In more than 25 resourcepoor nations, volunteers train, mentor and provide critical professional support to health care
providers who care for the neediest populations in the most difficult of circumstances.
HVO's wound and lymphedema management programs are in partnership with the
Association for the Advancement of Wound Care.