Expanded Shoulder to Shoulder Health Center Opens in Santo Domingo, Ecuador

By Ryan Clark
CHS Communications Director

LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 17, 2026) — Community members, donors, faculty, students and health care volunteers recently celebrated the opening of the expanded University of Kentucky Shoulder to Shoulder Health Center in the Carlos Ruiz Burneo neighborhood of Santo Domingo, Ecuador, marking a major milestone in a nearly two-decade effort to increase access to health care and rehabilitation services.

The expansion adds approximately 2,600 square feet to the health center and was made possible through more than $130,000 in gifts from more than 100 individual contributors.

For Lynn English, PT, MSEd, DPT, emeritus faculty in the University of Kentucky Department of Physical Therapy, the opening represented both a celebration and the continuation of work that has spanned 18 years.

“The rehabilitation clinic is, of course, my great joy,” English said. “This neighborhood of 40,000 people has not had any consistent rehabilitation available until now.”

Prior to the expansion, clinic staff — including physicians, nurses, administrators and community health workers — often worked in small, shared spaces while patients waited outdoors under covered areas and tents. When UK teams traveled to Ecuador, physical therapy services were conducted in a covered pavilion with open sides, using hanging sheets to create makeshift privacy spaces.

The new addition transforms that experience for both patients and providers.

The expanded facility includes new examination rooms, dentistry services, pharmacy and laboratory space, health promotion areas, offices and five accessible bathrooms. Renovated areas also create shaded and ventilated transitional spaces connecting the new addition with a former clinic area that has now been converted into a dedicated rehabilitation center.

The rehabilitation clinic fills a critical need in the community. Previously, patients requiring physical therapy or rehabilitation often had to travel by bus and pay costs beyond the reach of many families.

Shoulder to Shoulder Global (STSG) is a UK Global Health Initiatives organization that integrates academic and community partners both at home and abroad to improve the health and well-being of underserved communities in Ecuador and outside of Nairobi, Kenya while simultaneously improving the clinical skills of current and future practitioners.

Students, faculty, staff and community members can participate in these transformative, short-term experiences in global health. In Santo Domingo, Ecuador, participants work at the permanent Centro de Salud Hombro a Hombro clinic alongside local providers.

Known locally as Hombro a Hombro, the center now employs a part-time physical therapist and offers services at a typical cost of approximately $6 per visit. In addition, wheelchairs and other mobility equipment brought by volunteers can now be distributed through a more structured process and fitted appropriately for patients, reducing delays that once stretched for months.

English said one of the most meaningful moments during the opening ceremony came unexpectedly when plaques were unveiled recognizing both Shoulder to Shoulder founder Tom Young and a major donor, as well as a separate plaque outside the rehabilitation clinic honoring her contributions.

“I did not expect that,” English said. “It was an emotional moment.”

The expansion was also witnessed by volunteers and students who traveled to Ecuador as part of the May 16–23, 2026, medical brigade, including an unusual family pairing — physical therapist and educator Melanie Hines, PT, DPT, ATC, Cert. MDT, and her daughter, University of Kentucky Doctor of Physical Therapy Class of 2027 student Sarah Hines.

Melanie Hines, assistant professor and director of clinical education in the Physical Therapist Assistant Program at Somerset Community College, supervised and assisted physical therapy students during the trip.

“Spending a week in Ecuador on the medical brigade alongside my daughter was an unforgettable experience,” Hines said. “Witnessing her compassion, empathy and dedication to this community made me incredibly proud. Watching her apply everything she has learned throughout her PT education to real-world patient care was deeply rewarding for me as a mom as well as a physical therapist.”

Hines said one patient interaction demonstrated the impact rehabilitation resources can have on patients and families.

“A particularly memorable moment involved a patient who had lived with hip dysplasia since birth, a condition that severely limited her mobility,” Hines said. “When we were able to provide her with both a walker and a wheelchair, her profound gratitude was immediately clear despite the language barrier.”

She said the new permanent rehabilitation space will create lasting benefits for the community.

“Establishing a permanent physical therapy center in Santo Domingo is a critical step forward that will bring sustained health and healing to this community,” Hines said. “By offering consistent access to medical and physical therapy treatment, education and mobility resources, the center will profoundly elevate the community's overall quality of life. Ultimately, it will empower individuals to regain independence, return to work and thrive.”

Kara Lee, PT, DPT, NCS, director of clinical education and assistant professor in the University of Kentucky Department of Physical Therapy, said English’s leadership has shaped the impact of the program over many years.

“Lynn’s involvement and the PT presence she has facilitated has made a huge impact on the people of the region, the volunteers from the U.S., and our students,” Lee said.

As the new center begins serving patients, English sees the expansion not simply as a building project, but as an investment in the long-term health of the community.

“I am still flying high when I reflect on how far we have come and the potential for health of this community to improve over time with the efforts of many,” English said.