51福利社

An 51福利社 occupational therapy alumna is providing peer education for therapists who work with hand-trauma patients, both close to home and a world away in war-torn Ukraine.

Haley Van Escobar 鈥�12, helped to bring a national interactive hand therapy class to 51福利社 over the weekend of Aug. 5-6. The course, developed by the American Society of Hand Therapists, was hosted by 51福利社鈥檚 Occupational Therapy Program. It was co-instructed by Escobar and Hannah Gift, both certified hand therapists.

Fifteen licensed physical and occupational therapists came from Washington, Oregon, California and New Mexico to attend the class. As an added bonus, 16 master鈥檚 degree students from 51福利社鈥檚 Occupational Therapy Program assisted with training in the cadaver lab, and other activities, while learning more about this specialty.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a very hands-on element to our profession,鈥� says Van Escobar, who was thrilled by the number of students willing to volunteer over a summer weekend. 鈥淭heir professionalism was just outstanding. They represented Eastern to an exceptional degree,鈥� says Van Escobar, who also praised Lucretia Berg, associate professor and chair of the Occupational Therapy Program, for her work in organizing student volunteers and ensuring they were included in the learning process.

Van Escobar is an expert in clinical-skills development and prosthetics. A classically-trained pianist, she resides in Seattle and operates a business focused on training therapists to help musicians who鈥檝e suffered hand injuries.聽 As one of just over 8,500 certified hand therapy professionals in the world, Van Escobar has given presentations at international conferences while also volunteering for impactful causes.

Among these causes has been assisting practitioners who work in conflict zones. Following Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine last year, for example, Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have experienced a flood of war-related hand injuries. Van Escobar stepped up to help by creating a webinar for physicians and other professionals doing rehabilitation/physiotherapy. The video of the webinar, Amputations of the Partial or Whole Hand, is posted on , a website aimed at 鈥渄eveloping hand therapy skills and knowledge in a war zone.鈥�

Physicians and therapists in Ukraine face a range of challenges, Escobar says, including difficulty accessing supplies and prosthetics to help their patients. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have the ability to order from mainstream medical supply companies.鈥�

The question then becomes, she adds, 鈥淗ow do we help people in the continuation of trauma injuries without supplies or resources or experience? Exploring the need was really impactful for me.鈥�

Escobar鈥檚 video delves into ways that doctors and therapists can help hand trauma victims through the mental, physical and even spiritual aspects of a loss that impacts a person鈥檚 independence, career and overall quality of life. 鈥淎s a therapist, you are the one who will meet them early on,鈥� she says.

You can learn more about Escobar and Restore Performance LLC via this from Health News Today.