Humanitarian Aid
North Coast Medical’s dedication to global support has been embodied by the Biehls’ and has permeated through the entire company and its employees. Without hesitation, North Coast Medical staff has participated in programs that match their contributions for catastrophic events. This initiative has resulted in the donation of thousands of dollars to aid victims of natural disasters, such as the Katrina hurricane and the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Even beyond financial aid, employees have and continue to come together to organize and ship rehabilitation products and supplies around the world, providing support to those in need of proper rehabilitation care.
It is why we say “From our hands to theirs”.
Costa Rica
“Thank you to North Coast for providing orthotics and wound care supplies. We held 5 days of clinics in 4 cities in Costa Rica. We provided orthotics for many hand, wrist, elbow, knee and back disorders! We were also able to instruct many people in helpful exercises and stretching. Your support helped us to increase the services available this year!”
Carolyn Pendergast OT/CHT
Armenia
“We are back and had an amazing time in Armenia. We were able to work with many people and were more than prepared with our supplies! We saw adults, wounded soldiers, children and the doctors & nurses in the villages. The staff was beyond excited to see a suitcase full of items, some they had never seen before. Our group was very appreciative of the generous donation. There is a lot of poverty in Armenia, but you would never know that by how generous the people are. It was an honor for me to be able to participate on this mission and I hope to be able to go again! Thank you and North Coast again for your support in making this mission a true success!!! ”
Michelle Rogers OTR/L, CHT
Bolivia
I was so appreciative of the discounted supplies for the ReSurge 2016 trip to La Paz , Bolivia. It was very successful. This trip is also an educational experience for PT students and indigenous personnel to learn orthotic fabrication skills. Thank you for your consideration, and assistance in this mission.
Jolene Anderson, OTR/L, CHT
Ghana
Thank you so much! The Encore material was used to support children with disabilities in Ghana, West Africa. We worked directly with Mephibosheth Training Centre, a boarding school for children with disabilities. We also provided assessment and treatment for people who visited from local communities. Here are a few pictures to share! Our team of therapists and occupational therapy students worked in collaboration with Ghanaian students from the University of Education, Winneba (studying community based rehabilitation) and the University of Ghana (studying occupational therapy). Thank you for your generous donation!
Mariko Yamazaki-Sanchez, OTD, OTR/L, SWC
Cote d Ivoire
I would like to thank North Coast Medical for donating supplies. The team of surgeons and therapists treated 90 patients providing life transforming procedures.
Cheryl Bencala
Vietnam
One Delaware Tech service project went international when a group of occupational therapy assistant and human services students from the Owens, Terry and George Campuses traveled to Vietnam for 12 days to volunteer in orphanages and vocational training centers in Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Cam Ranh and Da Nang. In addition, they distributed food supplies to 171 families and helped build a home for a single mother with four children in rural Cam Ranh. Thank you for providing donations and significant discounts on items for our service projects in Vietnam.
Bobbi Barends, Ph.D.
Georgetown, Delaware
Ghana
My thanks to NCM for the generous donation of supplies. The development of a Hand Therapy program at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Ghana is in its beginning phase. Volunteer hand therapists, like myself, are traveling to Ghana to focus on educating local physiotherapists on evaluation and treatment of hand and upper extremity related injuries. The items provided as donations have a positive and profound effect on both the patients receiving treatment and therapists who are providing care.
Adam Crelling, MS, OTR/L, CHT
Portland, Oregon
West Africa
There is probably no greater place in the world where hand therapy training and supplies are needed than West Africa. They truly have nothing.
Heather Wood, OTR/L, CHT, LMT
Wenzhou, China
Please know that because of your most generous donation many Chinese therapists are better resourced and many injured people in China are gaining functional use with their hands!
Heather Wood, OTR/L, CHT, LMT
Haiti
We had a successful trip to Haiti and visited 2 hospitals; one serving spinal cord injured patients in Font de Blanc, another in Les Cayes serving children and adults in an outpatient clinic. The materials from North Coast Medical that you sent were so appreciated by the therapists and patients alike. As packages mailed to Haiti are often lost or stolen, the hand delivered materials were treasured. I split the materials and left some with each hospital, after we fabricated hand and foot/leg splints and braces. The staff was so grateful!
Thank you and your wonderful company for your genuine caring and generosity!
Ellen Carr, OTR CHT
Donating Supplies to the People of Nepal
Caring for people who would not have help is the best part of being a therapist! I would especially like to thank you [North Coast]for making this happen. The people of Nepal were so kind, caring and appreciative. I was the one lucky to be there.. .
Thank you so very much for all of your assistance for making the trip a success.
Susan Louie OTR/L, CHT
Nicaragua
I cannot thank you enough for donating the supplies for my Medical mission trips to Nicaragua. I can tell you that I would not have been able to treat the post op patients that we had without your generous donation of materials especially the splinting material.
On Sunday, our clinic day we saw about 40 patients over the course of 4 hours without a break. There is so much mismanagement of injury and unnecessary disability; things you would never see in the US.
I was joined by another OT from New York and two hand surgeons from Indiana. We had a wonderful experience. I do hope to return to Nicaragua as there is so much need there and hope we can work together again in the future.
Thank you again for your most generous donations.
Heather Wood OTR/L, CHT
Haiti
Our group of 11 people (5 physicians, 1 PT, 1 med. Student, 1 engineer, 1 nurse and 2 translators) were able to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of refugees in a tent city of 1500.
In the pictures you will see Reginette, a 13-year-old girl who had been walking home from school with her sister at the time of the earthquake. All she remembers is feeling dizzy and waking up to find her leg crushed and her sister dead beside her. Her left trans-tibial amputation was performed on a kitchen table with only Tylenol to lessen the pain. Before we arrived, she had had no follow up care since the surgery. By the time we left she was confidently walking around the tent city, negotiating stairs and more importantly, smiling.
Julie Morrison PT, DPT
Uganda
We are so grateful for the splinting materials you provided from North Coast Medical, they were essential for working with patients in the clinics! During 8 days of clinic, the medical team of over 105 healthcare providers saw over 2000 patients. At one site in northern Uganda, we helped refugees that traveled over 8 hours from Sudan, sleeping at the clinic site, just to see medical professionals. Our team of occupational and physical therapists saw countless patients recovering from strokes, burns, head injuries, and developmental disabilities from birth.
This trip has touched the lives of so many people in more ways than I can begin to explain. I cannot thank you enough for your generous donation of equipment for this trip.
(A) We made long leg braces to help a 3 year old child who was not walking begin to stand, weight bear, and walk. (B) Making resting hand splints for child. We also made him the corner chair.
Custom made hand braces for a woman with severe RA. She was so excited because she said she could continue to work in her garden with the using the new braces!
Sincerely,
Patty Coker
Patty Coker, PhD, OTR/L
Assistant Professor
Division of Occupational Therapy
Medical University of South Carolina
Nicaragua
I just wanted to personally thank North Coast Medical for the generous donation for my trip to Nicaragua. You guys truly made a difference considering they had no splinting material or wound care supplies. Our team performed 30 hand surgeries that week in which the majority needed post operative splinting.
Jay Gerzmehle OTR/L CHT, CSCS, CEAS
You need to know how much the North Coast Medical donated supplies helped needy patients in Nicaragua. I also used the supplies to train some therapist. Thank you again for your generosity and helping so many people.
Tavi Karpilow
