Kaiser Permanente Team Builds Prosthetic Hands f...(/p It is an amazing experience to see...),Health

"It is an amazing experience to see the looks on peoples' faces when they realize that they are building something that will allow amputees to do things that we take for granted every day, such as writing, typing and even eating with standard utensils," said John Arntz, a facilitator of the workshop. "Participants can then apply the lessons learned to their personal work environments with a newfound appreciation of their support systems and the end result of their work."

The activity allows participants to deliver what would typically cost thousands of dollars to recipients free of charge.

Unfortunately, the need is prevalent. The United Nations estimates that there are 100 million 'active' land mines in 60 countries, and 250 million more that are stockpiled and ready to deploy. There are approximately 2,000 land mine accidents every month, with 75 percent of mine blast survivors injured to a degree that requires at least one amputation.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is America's leading integrated health plan. Founded in 1945, it is a not-for-profit, group practice program headquartered in Oakland, Calif. Kaiser Permanente serves 8.7 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Today it encompasses the not-for-profit Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and their subsidiaries, and the for-profit Permanente Medical Groups. Nationwide, Kaiser Permanente includes approximately 159,000 technical, administrative and clerical employees and caregivers, and more than 13,000 physicians representing all specialties. For more Kaiser Permanente news, visit the KP News Center at: http://xnet.kp.org/newscenter
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