The Marblehead Harbor Club checks in with the recipients of its grants a number of years after its grant projects have been completed. The physician who oversees the results of their 2015 global grant in Nepal was recently contacted.
A bit of history: The beautiful mountain-filled country of Nepal has been devastated over the years by severe earthquakes, which leave hundreds of its citizens, young and old, with serious and sometimes life-threatening injuries. In the past, family members were forced to bring their loved ones to the only hospital in the country that could stabilize patients, a hospital that was located in Dhulikhel, miles from their homes. Once stabilized, the injured people returned to their homes, but, back in 2015, there were no physical therapy services available to help them get back to normal function.
Through a Rotary Global Grant, spearheaded by past Club President Dr. Patricia Sullivan, internationally recognized PT specialist, the club’s Global Grant was able to supply equipment, training and staffing at 6 outlying clinics, 5 of which are still staffed and operational today. (The staff and equipment in the sixth were absorbed into one of the 5 clinics to better serve the most pressing needs in that particular hard hit outlying area.)
Pictured are the Dolakha outreach center (hospital) and Physiotherapy OPD setup at the center. Club members are very happy that the Rotary Global Grant process is still the cornerstone of this success story today!