miraclefeet Treating Clubfoot in Brazil

miraclefeet works in Brazil due to its large population, stability, and commitment to public health. Despite incredible economic growth, Brazil is still a country of great socioeconomic inequality with very high poverty rates and large numbers of untreated clubfoot.

Sao Paulo

miraclefeet launched its first program in October 2010, partnering with Dr. Laura Ferreira and her clubfoot clinic team at the Hospital Universitario de Universidade de Sao Paulo (HU-USP) in Sao Paulo, Brazil, due to population in Sao Paulo and Dr. Ferreira's excellence in the Ponseti Method. With miraclefeet support, braces are provided for all families, increasing retention rates. Based on capacity and population, miraclefeet projects that 100 children will have been treated in HU-USP by the end of 2012. Working together with Dr. Ferreira, miraclefeet is expanding its network in Sao Paulo in order to build capacity to treat the estimated 230 children born each year with clubfoot in Sao Paulo.

Dra. Patricia Moreno has recently established a Ponseti clinic at USP's Instituto de Ortopedia e Traumotologia, located at das Clinicas, South America's largest hospital. miraclefeet will be supporting Dra. Moreno's work with funding for free braces, to increase treatment compliance and alleviate families' financial burden.

The Northeast

miraclefeet has continued to partner with more Ponseti clinics in Brazil, many of which's doctors were trained by orthopedic surgeon Dr. Monica Nogueira, who is a strong advocate for the Ponseti Method in Brazil. Most recently, a partnership has been formed with Hospital Martagao Gesteira in Salvador, Brazil's third-larget city. Because of Salvador's size and location, patients from multiple states attend the clinic, often traveling 8 hours to arrive.

Surgery to treat clubfoot is still prevalent in Brazil. Luckily, there are dedicated Ponseti practitioners scattered around this huge country and they are deeply committed to providing the best care for the children they see, though equally frustrated that their efforts are undermined by a system that pushes many to continue to operate. miraclefeet hopes that by supporting these agents of change and local Ponseti entrepreneurs, we can increase the number of children being treated, improve the quality of care and promote systemic change within the system so that the Ponseti Method becomes the gold standard treatment provided by all public hospitals in Brazil.