One World Surgery

 One of the advantages of this NPH location is the One World Surgery Center that is co-located on the property. This is a non-profit organization that supplies healthcare to the community and to the NPH children and staff. I didn’t know the history of this organization until just now. It is very inspiring, and you can read about it at: About us - One World Surgery. Basically, it started with a doctor from Minnesota and his wife visiting NPH Honduras twenty years ago and helping one of the children that had a severe deformity. Since then, it has grown into a surgery center that has full time staff and, in addition, brings in brigades of healthcare professionals throughout the year to resolve health issues. The brigades are usually here for a week and these visitors stay at the Moscati Center which is a hotel-like building on the ranch. Per the one world surgery website:

“During weeklong medical mission trips, physicians, other clinical participants, nonclinical participants, and family members come together to provide life-changing surgeries, primary care, and dental services. One World Surgery organizes surgical and primary care missions to its facility in Honduras, the Holy Family Surgery Center. We also lead primary care field missions in the communities surrounding the site of our future surgery center and primary care clinic in the Dominican Republic.”

Moscati Center Houses Visiting Brigades

One World Surgical Center

Quirofano is Surgery in Spanish

Three of the volunteers (out of 13) help at the One World Surgery center and several others are therapists or therapists–in–training that provide special help to the children that need it. In addition, there is a medical clinic separate from the surgery center and the therapists. I hope that Allen and I don’t find the need for any of this medical help, but it is comforting to know that it is close by and that we will be able to get quality care. For those family and friends with medical know-how that would be interested in spending a week helping in Honduras or the Dominican Republic, you can check out the needs for the upcoming brigades at this link: Medical Mission Overview - One World Surgery

As part of Padrinos, I get to check to see if any of the brigade members are sponsors and help arrange a meeting with their “godchild” while they are here. Also, sometimes the Padrino office gives a presentation to brigades and I may be doing that part as well. The presentation is in English and if I give it, my coworkers will not have to stay late at the Ranch. I don’t often get a chance to meet the brigades except for chance passings on the road so am looking forward to more opportunities to interact.

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