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When Operation Walk Boston team members arrived in the Dominican Republic for their fifth annual surgical mission last month, they examined patients from the previous three years who had undergone knee and hip surgery. One by one, each patient walked into their appointment—a true testament to the group’s impact on improving quality of life for these patients and their families.
“Our outcome data shows that our patients are doing very well post-surgery and have been able to return to full functional lives,” said BWH Rheumatologist Jeffrey N. Katz, MD, who collects data on Operation Walk Boston patients. Katz hosted the clinic with physical therapist Carolyn Beagan, PT, as well as Dominican medical students.
For the fifth year in a row, Operation Walk Boston brought much needed treatment to Dominican patients with hip and knee problems and gave them the opportunity to regain their physical independence. The team performed 47 hip and knee joint replacements at Hospital Plaza de La Salud, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
“This was one of our best missions thus far. Our team was cohesive and worked tirelessly together to deliver seamless and integrated care for all our patients,” said Roya Ghazinouri, PT, DPT, MS, BWH’s clinical supervisor for Inpatient Physical Therapy and chief operating officer for Operation Walk Boston.
“We also spent time educating the Dominican medical student volunteers and nursing staff who were with us all week, helping us provide the best care for patients.”
This year’s team consisted of 52 participants, including surgeons, anesthesiologists, orthopedic residents, nurses, physical therapists and operating room staff. Many of the team members are BWH employees, but about 5 percent hail from other Boston-area hospitals.
“Over the past five years, hundreds of patients have benefited from surgeries they otherwise wouldn’t have access to or be able to afford,” said Thomas S. Thornhill, MD, BWH’s chair of Orthopedic Surgery, who leads Operation Walk Boston. “It gives us a tremendous sense of pride that we’re able to help them get back to their normal lives.”
In addition to helping patients, the group continued their commitment to teaching. Orthopedic Nurse Practitioner Barbara Aggouras, NP, and PACU nurse Julia Rodriguez, RN, along with Paul Laemmle, RN, Operation Walk Boston’s OR coordinator, held a day-long seminar for Dominican nursing staff on best practices in orthopedics.
“I am proud to say we have created a strong collaboration with our host institution and also a strong team that delivers quality care efficiently and effectively,” said Ghazinouri. “None of this would have been possible without the support of BWH, which has made donations in kind and supported us in all administrative, fundraising and operational aspects of our mission.”