How To Volunteer With Foot Aid And Why Volunteering Will Change You

Much of my career has been devoted to international podiatric medicine and surgery with a focus on developing countries. I have traveled worldwide and worked alongside fantastic healthcare providers dedicated to caring for patients in resource challenging environments. Colleagues contact me frequently regarding volunteer opportunities. A fundamental internal change occurs in most people when they volunteer for an international medical service mission. I have been searching for a method to make opportunities available to interested colleagues and assist developing countries in improving the lower extremity healthcare for their citizens.

Foot Aid (https://footaid.weebly.com/ ) was created to serve as a matching and vetting site for interested volunteers, private and public organizations. The organization’s mission is to assist medical communities around the world in optimizing foot and ankle health. Lower extremity healthcare programs available consist of diabetic limb salvage and amputation prevention program, a Ponseti clubfoot program, a reconstructive foot and ankle surgical program and a non-surgical foot and ankle program.

The program philosophy is based on the premise of sharing of knowledge and experience with local physicians. The goal is to establish sustainable lower extremity healthcare programs in developing countries worldwide supported by Foot Aid volunteers. By employing a “teach the teachers” philosophy, the program’s reach multiplies to serve more people in need. A critical component of Foot Aid’s program is to provide ongoing support via consults using email, Skype or text. The program encourages medical service trips at least on an annual basis or more frequently, based on volunteer availability. The continuity of program principles will be of the utmost importance to volunteers. All Foot Aid volunteers will be credentialed using their local hospital privileging, board certification status, and certifications of training to ensure competency.

Requesting organizations and volunteers are required to complete the online registration forms and submit requested documentation. Medical service trips normally range between five and ten days excluding travel days. Volunteers will be required to pay for their transportation, room and board on medical service trips. Volunteers will be responsible for making their travel reservations. The hosting facility may coordinate housing arrangements. The hosting facility will be responsible for communicating with volunteers the available supplies, equipment and operating room availability. Volunteers should bring with them any needed supplies or equipment not available at the hosting facility. Non-profit 501(c)(3) status for Foot Aid is pending approval from the Internal Revenue Service.

Foot Aid currently has two volunteer opportunities available. Step-by-Step Haiti is the other non-profit I started in 2009. This program is a diabetic limb amputation prevention program located at Bernard Mevs Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The clinic is a well-established wound care center within a hospital. The program also works with the Haitian Foundation for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease (https://fhadimac.org ). The program is multifaceted and offers volunteers options to participate in surgery, the wound care clinic and a foot care clinic.

The second opportunity is a new program in Mongolia located at the National Center for Maternal and Child Health (NCMCH). This clubfoot program will be based on the Ponseti method. Interested volunteers are required to complete a certified Ponseti training course. This unique opportunity offers volunteers potential to develop a new program in conjunction with the Mongolian physicians.

Volunteers are contacting the Ministers of Health from developing countries to gauge interest and potential synergy with Foot Aid. I will provide updates via this DPM Blog as new mission trips are confirmed. I would personally like to thank Rami Basatneh, a second-year podiatric medical student at Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine, who has an interest in global health and health policy. Rami’s passion for Foot Aid is truly inspiring. He has been my right hand in getting the program established. I would also like to thank the other Volunteer Directors (Erika Jagger DeHeer, Susan DeHeer, Nicholas Pagano, DPM, and Louis DeCaro, DPM) for being part of the team.

If you have any desire to experience medicine at its purest level, please consider volunteering with Foot Aid. Visit the website (https://footaid.weebly.com/ ) and fill out the volunteer form. If you have any questions about the program, please email us at footaidorg@gmail.com . I can tell you from my years of experience in international medicine that you will receive more than you can ever give, and the experience will fundamentally change you.