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Doc to Lead Nursing Academy in Liberia
Walker seeks other volunteers to help with the nursing program.
Sanchez will act as a liaison for the nursing program.
A Refugio family physician plans to lead a nursing school in Liberia without even leaving the U.S.
Dr. J. Stefan Walker said he was asked by the administrator of the Greater Love Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia, to head up a vocational nursing program at the hospital, which he first learned about through a Woodsboro resident working in the area.
The program, which will use computer-based lessons and hands-on training, will teach skills such as understanding prescriptions and dosages and taking blood pressure, said Walker, Refugio County’s health officer.
Walker said training more nurses will help the hospital become a top-notch facility.
“They are going to be ahead of the eight-ball,” he said.
The training effort will enlist professors to develop lectures that Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi computer science students will help turn into classes in a CD or flash drive format, Walker said.
Professors, a nursing director and a curriculum coordinator still are needed before the project can get started, Walker said, noting all positions are volunteer.
Walker first got involved in Liberia by helping registered nurse Richard Sanchez, a Woodsboro resident, with medical techniques through e-mail as Sanchez trained Liberian soldiers to be military medics as a medical officer with Pacific Architects & Engineers, an international provider of facility operations and maintenance services.
After helping Sanchez, Walker donated items such as old hospital beds, crutches and wheelchairs from Refugio Memorial Hospital and Rural Health Clinics to the Monrovia hospital.
Sanchez said he is supposed to visit Liberia again and he will act as a liaison to Walker for the school.
The Liberian government must approve the school before it can begin, Sanchez said.
The nursing program isn’t affiliated with any organization, but Walker said he would like to start a nonprofit or an institute devoted to the effort.
Many Americans seem to worry about their problems and this country’s health care system, Walker said, noting they could learn from collaborating with others on a global scale.
“We need to think outside the box, and part of that box may be in Liberia,” he said.
vocational nursing school
A Refugio family practice doctor plans to head up a vocational nursing program in Monrovia, Liberia. More volunteers are needed to help in this effort.
Information: jstefanwalker@yahoo.com
Contact Elaine Marsilio at 886-3794 or marsilioe@caller.com
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