Salud said he’s open to tweaking next season’s schedule for Gilas. “We could advance the schedule so Gilas has more time to train for the World Cup and if the SBP decides, the Asian Games,” he said. “I’m sure coach Chot will propose a schedule where the Gilas players can get together for practice during the season so the chemistry stays strong. We’re not making any commitments as yet. The PBA Board will decide on how we go about coordinating with Gilas and the SBP.”
About 20 percent of patients they see get hyperbaric treatments. About 80 percent come in with wounds that refuse to heal. They often receive patients that are told they are never going to get better. San Antonio has the highest amputation rate in the nation. Dr. Dunn, who has a surgical background, is trying to prevent amputations.
Salud said Gilas’ silver showing at the recent FIBA-Asia Championships reestablished the identity of the Filipino game. “Our performance did wonders,” he said. “First, it reestablished our identity as a power in Asian basketball. Second, it showed our character as a nation. And third, it gave us national pride. To those who didn’t believe we could compete with the big boys of Asia, we proved our capability.”
After retiring from the military, he and some friends from the Air Force started a program at the Methodist Hospital, and then installed the chamber at the Nix with the idea to bring in doctors, nurses and technicians for a weeklong course to learn the basics of hyperbaric medicine.
The Philippines hasn’t played at the FIBA World Cup, previously known as the World Championships, since Manila hosted the event in 1978. Nic Jorge coached the team to a winless record. And the national team hasn’t won a FIBA World Cup game since beating the Central African Republic, 87-86, at the 1974 tournament in Puerto Rico. The Philippines wound up 13th of 14 that year with a squad made up of Jimmy Mariano, Joy Cleofas, Tembong Melencio, Robert Jaworski, Francis Arnaiz, Abet Guidaben, Ramon Fernandez, Bogs Adornado, Yoyong Martirez, Manny Paner, Dave Regullano and Big Boy Reynoso. Before beating the Central African Republic, the Philippines claimed its only other win in a 101-100 squeaker over Australia. The Philippines’ leading scorers were Adornado (18.0 points a game), Jaworski (14.3), Paner (11.9) and Fernandez (10.4).
The hyperbaric chamber at Nix was introduced in 1985 by Paul Sheffield, PhD. Sheffield was a colonel in the Air Force for 20 to 30 years as well as the Director of Aerospace Physiology. They developed the pressurized suits that the air crews wear in the military and in NASA. He was also interested in hyperbaric medicine and helping the Air Force develop a hyperbaric treatment to help air crew who had been in low pressure (putting them in high pressure to hopefully get rid of bubbles in the blood).
