[Washington, DC - August 21, 2012] Health Volunteers Overseas is delighted to announce the launch of a new wound care program at Duncan Hospital in Raxaul, India. Raxaul is a bustling rural town in the northern-most part of the state of Bihar,  India, just across the border from Nepal. Duncan Hospital (DH) is part of the Emmanuel Hospital Association (EHA), which serves approximately 30 million poor and underprivileged people annually through 20 hospitals and 46 projects across 14 states in India. DH is the biggest of the 20 hospitals that fall under the umbrella of EHA. It is a 200-bed hospital, providing secondary level care in the specialties of medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, ophthalmology, radiology, dentistry and orthopaedics. From 2010-2011, the hospital averaged 400-600 outpatients per day.

With sponsorship from the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care (AAWC), HVO and DH have set the primary goal for this program to provide basic wound care education to DH staff through an interdisciplinary approach. HVO volunteers will teach and train specific topics, including moist wound healing, vascular surgery, wound assessment, wound debridement, nutrition for wound healing, and burn care. Training and education will include lectures, hands-on demonstrations, case studies, and interactive participation in grand rounds with both physicians and nurses.

HVO volunteers will serve as part of two to four person teams, scheduled once a year for two to four week assignments in January or February (note: four weeks is preferred). HVO is currently seeking volunteers for the wound care program at DH for 2013; there is some flexibility of dates within the January to February timeframe. Individuals must be licensed active or retired nurses or physicians, and nurses with experience in wound care and vascular surgeons are preferred.  As the program develops, HVO will also consider physical therapists who are Certified Wound Specialists (CWS) to participate in the training at DH. Volunteers will be required to submit a structured wound care course outline and content prior to their assignment. Interested individuals are encouraged to contact the HVO Program Department.

HVO's Wound & Lymphedema Management Programs are a partnership with the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care (AAWC) and its global initiative, the AAWC Global Alliance.  The AAWC is the preeminent, multidisciplinary organization for advanced wound care. As a not for profit association, AAWC gives members numerous benefits to build a collaborative wound care community. The association exists to be the leader in interdisciplinary wound healing and tissue preservation.

Health Volunteers Overseas is a private, nonprofit organization founded in 1986 to improve global health through the education of local health care providers. In 25 years of service, HVO's training has transformed lives through the design and implementation of clinical and didactic education programs in child health, primary care, trauma and rehabilitation, essential surgical care, oral health, blood disorders and cancer, infectious disease, nursing education and wound management. In more than 25 resource-poor countries, HVO volunteers train, mentor and provide critical professional support to health care providers who care for the neediest populations in the most difficult of circumstances. For more information, visit the HVO website.

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