
John “Jay” Tew
Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics (Austin, Texas) prosthetists Jay Tew, CP, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Anna Avakian, CPO, of Alpharetta, Georgia, and Vern Hostetler, CPO, of Zanesville, Ohio, were recently honored for their work in restoring mobility and independence to hundreds of Haitian amputees, according to a company press release. Tew, Avakian, and Hostetler were recognized at Hanger’s national Education Conference in Reno, Nevada. The award is a tribute to their efforts at the Hanger Clinic in Deschapelles, Haiti. The Hanger Clinic, established by the Hanger Ivan R. Sabel Foundation and its partners in the Haitian Amputee Coalition following the January 12, 2010 earthquake, is located at the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer, 60 miles from Port-au-Prince. To date, more than 700 Haitians have received prosthetic care at the Hanger Clinic.

Anna Avakian
“Jay, Anna, and Vern selflessly volunteered to spend more than three months of their lives leading, building, inspiring, and caring at the Hanger Clinic in Deschapelles,” said Hanger Ivan R. Sabel Foundation Founder and Chairman Ivan Sabel. “It is due in large part to their efforts and leadership that we have been able to achieve the kind of clinical outcomes and success that we have proudly accomplished in Haiti.”

Vern Hostetler
Last year Tew, Avakian, and Hostetler each served three-month terms as lead practitioner at the Hanger Clinic in Haiti. Tew and Hostetler have since returned for a second rotation in the same role.