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| Paul Prusakowski, CPO, president of the Florida Association of Orthotists & Prosthetists, presents a check for $75,000—$25,000 from the FAOP and $50,000 from the Academy’s College Fund—to Carl Kuttler, PhD, St. Petersburg College president. |
The dream is one step closer to reality. But more remains to be done!
"In a very short period of time, we are about halfway toward meeting the goal of raising $750,000 to develop a new state-of-the-art O&P program in Florida, said Paul Prusakowski, CPO, president of the Florida Association of Orthotists & Prosthetists (FAOP). "The Academy [American Academy of Orthotists & Prosthetists] has generously donated $50,000 to St. Petersburg College," Prusakowski said. In addition, the Florida Chapter of the Academy and the FAOP have each donated $25,000, he continued.
St. Petersburg College, St. Petersburg, Florida, is the site of the planned school. Besides filling a void in O&P education east of the Mississippi River, the school is the site of the proposed Academy Learning Center.
The Academy Learning Center is planned to enhance O&P education in many ways. "The concept of the Academy Learning Center is to create a physical location that could enhance the Academy's ability to offer didactic and laboratory-based education to orthotists and prosthetists," explained Academy President Don Katz, CO, FAAOP. "It would provide venues for state-of-the-art national and international coursework in O&P, promoting both web-based and 'hands-on' training workshops, seminars, and conferences." The Center could also serve as another venue for the Academy's ongoing efforts to convene Clinical Standards of Practice (CSOP) consensus conferences, as well as a possible future O&P museum and an extensive online library, he added.
"Education is something that everyone can get behind!" Prusakowski stressed. "Our profession needs more schools, and the administration at St. Petersburg College has a fresh approach and the right mindset to make this happen and to create a new standard of excellence."
More financial support from the profession is needed to make the dream a reality, Prusakowski said. To make a donation or for more information, contact Dr. Janice Buchanan, Orthotics & Prosthetics Program Campaign, St. Petersburg College Foundation Inc., P.O. Box 13489, St. Petersburg, FL 33733; 727.341.3319; fax 727.341.3123 buchananj@spcollege.edu
