Operation Smile Medical Mission To Take Place In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, From March 13-21, 2008

OPERATION SMILE MEDICAL MISSION TO TAKE PLACE IN PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA, FROM MARCH 13-21, 2008

International Medical Mission Team to Provide Free Surgery to Children Born with Cleft Lips and Cleft Palates

An Operation Smile Medical Mission team will arrive in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for an international medical mission taking place March 13-21, 2008 to assist children born with facial deformities. The team consists of more than 50 medical and non-medical volunteers from Australia, Cambodia, Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore and the United States. Founded in 1982, Operation Smile is a worldwide children’s medical charity dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children and young adults.

Who: An Operation Smile International Mission Team comprised of credentialed medical professionals from 9 countries to include:
Norrie Oelkers, R.N., Clinical Coordinator from New Jersey
Dr. Alice Smith, Speech Pathology Adjunct Assistant Professor at University of Iowa
Dr. Mok Theavy, Plastic Surgery and Program Director for Operation Smile Cambodia

When: March 13-21, 2008

Where: Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital
Phnom Penh, Cambodia

This is Operation Smile’s eighth mission to Phnom Penh. Operation Smile’s work in Cambodia began in 2002 at the invitation of His Excellency Dr. Hong Sun Huot, Member of Parliament, Senior Minister and Minister of Health. Since that time, Operation Smile volunteers have provided more than 2,200 children with free medical evaluations and more than 1,000 have received life-changing surgery during international medical missions.

The last mission to Cambodia took place in November 2007 during Operation Smile’s 25th Anniversary World Journey of Smiles, when more than 40 medical and non-medical volunteer team members from Australia, Canada and the United States worked with a Cambodian medical team in Phnom Penh. The medical team conducted free physical examinations for 300 children and young adults and provided surgery for 127 patients suffering with facial deformities.

About Operation Smile (www.operationsmile.org)
Founded in 1982, Operation Smile, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is a worldwide children’s medical charity whose network of global volunteers are dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children and young adults. Since its founding, Operation Smile volunteers have treated more than 115,000 children born with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. In addition to contributing free medical treatment, Operation Smile trains local medical professionals in its 26 partner countries and leaves behind crucial equipment to lay the groundwork for long-term self-sufficiency.

Operation Smile performs 150 surgeries

By Brendan Brady
Phnom Penh Post, Issue 16 / 23, November 16 - 29, 2007

Nine-year-old Cheang Chamrong, patient #253, has made his way to the most important station in the medical evaluation line: the plastic surgeons.

Australian doctor David Chong and Canadian doctor David Jewer determine that Cheang has a cleft lip only - his palate is intact - and will receive Priority 1 status, given his youth and otherwise good health. He's lucky because that status all but guarantees he will receive surgery. Others are rejected because they lack the health to undergo surgery or have a deformity too severe.

About one in 500 children are born with a cleft in the developing world and over 20,000 children and adults in Cambodia have clefts.

In honor of its 25th anniversary, Operation Smile organized a medical mission in 25 countries November 8-16 with free treatment for 5,000 children born with cleft lips and palates whose families can't afford surgery.

In Cambodia, the charity mission at the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital planned to operate on about 150 children, aided by the efforts of 75 medical volunteers.

During two days of screening, doctors profiled 269 candidates who came from around Cambodia. Most had never seen a doctor before, said Fleur Childs, Director of Operation Smile Cambodia. The doctors assessed the patients' condition and assigned a priority.

"He is very embarrassed. He does not want to go to school because they laugh at him," Bin Sophon said of his son Cheang. "If they sew him up nice, he'll go to school without being embarrassed and be able to get good grades."

"It's difficult because they talk about me. If they could sew up my mouth, it would be easy, I would not be embarrassed," said Cheang.

Clefts can make eating and drinking difficult, lead to ear and dental problems, as well as inhibit a child's speech development.

Speech pathologist Alice Smith said sometimes children with cleft lips and palates are not allowed to go to school because the other children have problems understanding them. Buddhist precepts do not make life easier for people in Cambodia with such defects. Even Sophon said, "I believe that people who have sinned in past lives are born with deformities and other problems."

Parents at the hospital emphasized, more than anything, wanting their children to attend school and participate in class.

Three mothers waited in a room on the third floor of the hospital serving as their living quarters for the duration of their stay. For all three, it was the first time they've stepped foot in a surgical facility.

"I wanted to find a place that would help him but I didn't know where to go. I went to the local doctor but they didn't know what to do," said Chim Chaerat.

Another mother, who made the 400km trip from Mondolkiri with her three-year-old daughter, said "We're all scared our children will not get the surgery. I've come from far away and saved lots of money to make the trip."

The surgery list was posted and Cheang was scheduled for surgery November 12. His surgery was successful.

Sophon explained that the family heard about the free surgeries at the beginning of the year and that he wanted to bring his son in March, when Operation Smile last came to Cambodia, but work prevented him from making the trip.

In the future, Operation Smile hopes to build a clinic where it can treat patients year round in Cambodia.

Local health-care nurse flies to Cambodia with Operation Smile Monday

(Photo: Operation Smile)

November 1, 2007
By FANNIE SUNSHINE
The Mirror (North York, Ontario, Canada)

From the time she was a teenager, Jody Chatterton wanted to serve on missions with Operation Smile, an organization providing free facial reconstruction surgery to children and adults in Second World and developing countries.

Chatterton, a certified child life specialist at Humber River Regional Hospital, finally fulfilled her dream last year when she travelled to Kenya with Operation Smile for a two-week mission.

Now Chatterton is packing her bags for another two-week mission with the organization, this time to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

"I figure, who goes to Cambodia?" said Chatterton, who leaves Monday. "I really like the fact it has a rich history. I thought, where better to go?"

As the mission's child life specialist, Chatterton will be in charge of creating child-friendly areas at the surgery site, prepping patients for blood work and assisting with self-esteem issues, she said.

"It's all plastic surgery, such as a cleft lip or palate, and it will be a big change to who they area," she said, adding the age of patients range from four months to adulthood.

And Chatterton won't be leaving for Cambodia empty handed. After sending an e-mail to co-workers to see if anyone wanted to donate items for the patients, Chatterton was overwhelmed by the piles of toys and games.

"I can't even take all this stuff," she said, laughing. "The response from staff has been overwhelming."

Chatterton credits her employment at a multicultural hospital such as HRRH with preparing her for the Cambodia mission, noting many of the 150 patients expected for surgery don't speak English.

"Everyone will receive a general physical and then we have to determine who gets done for surgery," she said. "We can only take the most high-need patients."

Details

- Operation Smile, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is a worldwide children's medical charity. Dr. William P. Magee Jr., a plastic surgeon, and his wife, Kathleen S. Magee, a nurse and clinical social worker, founded the organization in 1982.

- Operation Smile was launched with its first mission to the Philippines in 1982. Operation Smile currently supports international and local medical missions to 25 countries.

- Operation Smile partner countries include Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gaza Strip/West Bank, Honduras, India, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Venezuela and Vietnam.

- Since 1982, more than 100,000 children and young adults have been treated by thousands of volunteers worldwide and thousands of health-care professionals have been trained globally.

- For $240, Operation Smile can change a child's life by giving the gift of a surgery. Revenue in excess of surgical costs is invested into sustainability programs, empowering Operation Smile partner countries to treat more children on their own and making people's investment go even farther. The complete Operation Smile model is an investment of $750 per child.

- Visit www.operationsmile.org for details.

- Operation Smile

Operation Smile Medical Mission to Take Place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, From March 15-23, 2007

Mission To Repair Children’s Cleft Lips and Cleft Palates Takes Place During Operation Smile’s 25th Anniversary Year

Norfolk, Virginia 3/15/2007
TransWorldNews

An Operation Smile Medical Mission team will arrive in Phnom Penh, Cambodia for an international medical mission taking place March 15-23, 2007 to assist children born with facial deformities. The team consists of more than 40 medical and non-medical volunteers from Cambodia, Canada, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam. Founded in 1982, Operation Smile is a worldwide children’s medical charity dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children and young adults.

Who:
An Operation Smile International Mission Team comprised of 35-40 credentialed medical professionals from 7 countries.
Dr. Andrew Wexler, Plastic Surgeon for Southern California Kaiser Permanente
Dr. Ben Hu, Anesthesiologist for Mills Peninsula Hospital in California
Dr. Alice Smith, Speech Pathology Professor at University of Iowa
Dr. Mok Theavy, Program Director for Operation Smile Cambodia
Mr. Chan Chok Choy, Operation Smile Cambodia Chairman of the Board

When: March 15-23, 2007

Where: Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital

During the mission in Phnom Penh, Cambodian volunteers will complete a biomedical training program conducted by an Operation Smile biomedical technician volunteer from South Africa. The program will train the volunteers techniques in setting up, testing and maintaining the state-of-the-art medical equipment that Operation Smile is supplying each of its partner countries. This is a major step toward reaching Operation Smile’s goal of having one person trained in biomedical technology in each of its partner countries. The program is part of Operation Smile’s ongoing commitment to provide education and training to physicians and other healthcare professionals around the world to promote long-term self-sufficiency.

This is Operation Smile’s fifth mission to Phnom Penh. Operation Smile’s work in Cambodia began in 2002 at the invitation of His Excellency Dr. Hong Sun Huot, Member of Parliament, Senior Minister and Minister of Health. Since that time, Operation Smile volunteers have provided more than 1,600 children with free medical evaluations and more nearly 700 have received life-changing surgery during international medical missions.

The most recent mission took place in March 2006 when an international team of approximately 40 medical and non-medical Operation Smile volunteers visited Preah Bat Norodom Sihanouk Hospital, providing free medical evaluations to 351 and surgery to 133 children and young adults who wanted the chance at a normal life. The Operation Smile international mission team included volunteers from Brazil, Canada, China, the Philippines, the United States and Venezuela, including plastic surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, a pediatrician, a dentist, speech pathologist, and child life therapist, who worked with Cambodian medical volunteers to conduct evaluations and repaid cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities.

Cambodia will be one of the partner countries participating during Operation Smile’s 25th anniversary year. Operation Smile will commemorate its 25th Anniversary with a year-long, multi-faceted series of initiatives to include the following:

• Global Standards of Care – Operation Smile announces a plan to implement Global Standards of Care for all of its medical programs as a commitment to ensuring that every patient treated by Operation Smile will benefit from the same sophisticated equipment, procedures, and highly trained and credentialed medical staff, no matter where they receive care around the world. All Operation Smile operating rooms will be equipped with the most up-to-date medical and surgical equipment. Additionally, Operation Smile is providing emergency supplies in accordance with the American Heart Association to support pediatric and advanced cardiac life support.

• Comprehensive Care Centers – Operation Smile will open Comprehensive Care Centers in Colombia, Honduras, Morocco, China, India, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Each Center will provide surgical treatment and post-operative follow-up for thousands of additional patients, especially those in remote areas. The Centers will also help train medical volunteers, strengthen local development and fundraising activities and provide on-going administrative support for in-country activities.

• International Forums on Medical Diplomacy – As part of its ongoing effort to create a global humanitarian network to bring healing to the world’s children, Operation Smile will host international forums on medical diplomacy.

• World Journey of Smiles -- The year-long anniversary celebration will culminate in November 2007, with the World Journey of Smiles, 40 simultaneous missions in 25 countries with a goal of treating an estimated 5,000 children living with facial deformities.

About Operation Smile (www.operationsmile.org)

Founded in 1982, Operation Smile, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is a worldwide children’s medical charity dedicated to helping improve the health and lives of children and young adults. Since its founding, Operation Smile has treated more than 100,000 children with facial deformities and provided education and training to physicians and other healthcare professionals around the world. In addition to contributing free medical treatment for children born with facial deformities, Operation Smile trains local medical professionals in its 25 partner countries and leaves behind crucial equipment to lay the groundwork for long-term self-sufficiency. Partners include: Bolivia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gaza Strip/West Bank, Honduras, India, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Venezuela, and Vietnam. Operation Smile has been distinguished by many prestigious awards, including the first $1 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to recognize outstanding contributions made to alleviate human suffering

ljones@operationsmile.org
www.operationsmile.org