Solzhenitsyn to Dedicate Oregon-Ryazan
Cerebral Palsy Clinic for Children

H. Walter Emori, MD
460 Murphy Road
Medford, Oregon, USA
Phone: 503 773-2233
Fax: 503 773-7089
E-mail: hwemd@aol.com


In the spring of 1991, while on a medical teaching trip to Russia, a group of American medical specialists were invited to the city of Ryazan. From their visit, a major project to benefit children afflicted with cerabral palsy evolved. It has all been the work of individuals giving of their time and money, and it will culminate with a ceremony this summer at which Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a son of Ryazan himself, will speak and dedicate the clinic. The story below describes this remarkable project, as well as opportunities for persons trained in occupational therapy to serve at the clinic.

Evgeni Zaitsev was the person who asked physicians Richard Sheldon and Walter Emori to visit the city of Ryazan. Zaitsev's father was the local Seventh-Day Adventist pastor in Ryazan and the two MD's met with the local church members to discuss a health-related project for the city. A rehabilitation clinic for children with cerebral palsy was suggested. Cerebral palsy is a common Russian illness with very little available for its treatment. No treatment was available in Ryazan for children suffering from this illness. Discussions were held and an agreement was reached with the city of Ryazan. The city would provide a building and would pay for ongoing operational expenses. The Americans were asked to provide rehabilitation equipment and teachers who would help to tra in staff at the clinic.

Subsequently, the city provided a never-used 25,000 sq. ft. kindergarten building, which has large classrooms, an exercise room, a dance room, and a heated swimming pool. Kitchen and laundry facilities are also a part of this facility.

Support for the Project Medical supplies were donated by Penrose Hospital, a Catholic institution in Colorado Springs, CO. Walter Knighton, a private individual in Vacaville, CA, helped with the shipment of these supplies, and a grant from the Fund for Democracy and Development (described in the November 1993 issue of Civil Society-East and West) paid for the shipping container. The supplies have arrived in Ryazan and are now in locked storage at the clinic.

With the agreement to establish the clinic, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a former resident of Ryazan, was contacted at his home in Vermont. He gave letters of support, and in late 1993 his wife Natalia also visited Ryazan and asked the city leaders to expedi te the project. A subsequent letter to the Ryazan mayor from Mr. Solzhenitsyn promised a visit to the clinic when completed.

Solzhenitsyn, who will return permanently to Russia this year, has promised Dr. Emori a visit in the summer. It is expected that he will visit and dedicate the clinic for the children of Ryazan and their parents.

Vice-Mayor Tarasov, himself a pediatrician and a strong sponsor of the clinic, is eager for it to open in June, 1994, when the city will celebrate its 900th anniversary. The clinic will symbolize a major new beginning.

Because housing is limited in Ryazan, plans for converting part of the clinic building into apartments for staff have been drawn. A Portland, Oregon furniture maker, Armand Johnson, has volunteered prefabricated beds, desks, and wardrobes for shipment an d has offered to go to Ryazan to install them in the clinic.

The project has been funded to date mostly with personal contributions of those interested. Friends, primarily of the Medford, OR, Seventh-Day Adventist Church, have donated about $15,000.

Professional support has come from the former Director of the Occupational Therapy Training Program at Loma Linda University, Ms. Edwina Marshall, who is developing treatment and training manuals for the clinic. Tim McPherson, OTR, a Medford, OR hand th erapist has visited Ryazan and will be coordinating the provision of therapists to Ryazan. Requests have gone to professional organizations for short term volunteers to teach in Ryazan. Volunteers will be asked to spend periods of weeks to months, depend ing on abilitiy, at the clinic. They must pay their own transportation costs to Russia, but in-country travel will be arranged and paid for by the clinic. Visa support will be arranged with the help of the city of Ryazan.

Construction experts and electricians from this country have volunteered their services to make the building given by Ryazan handicap accessible, and to outfit the apartments in the clinic building. Robert Casebier, a builder from Medford, OR, has visit ed Ryazan and offered his expertise in construction. Ken Christy, an electrician, and his wife, Ruth have assessed the electrical needs of the clinic building and offered their help.

Although this project was initiated by the Ryazan Seventh-Day Adventist Church, it is not a church-sponsored program. It is intended exclusively for the benefit of children and their families in Ryazan. To assist in funding, a charitable organization, I nternational Medical Assistance (IMA) has been established in Oregon through the efforts of Lloyd Summers, attorney.

The project will emphasize the teaching of Russians in the techniques of organizing, managing, and treating children with cerebral palsy. It is hoped that within a year or two, the facility will continue under complete Russian management. If successful, it may also provide a model rehabilitation program which can then be offered to other Russian cities for their children.

Support and comments for this project are solicited. Please reply to H. Walter Emori at the address above.

(CCSI thanks Willamette College student and Ryazan volunteer Todd Landis for this material.)


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