Partner for Surgery, Inc.

Partner for Surgery’s goals include: \r\n\r\n-Improve Health\r\n-Empower Communities\r\n-Reduce Poverty\r\n-Overcome Barriers

++We pioneered the use of Health Promoters who live and work in the communities our patients call home. They understand the local language and culture, thereby building the trust our Medical Triage Missions need to deliver compassionate care. When the time comes, our Health Promoters accompany patients from their remote villages on their surgical journey and then back home again. \r\n\r\n++Many of our cleft babies are malnourished due to an inability to nurse, so we developed an Infant Nutrition Program. Rural midwives report cleft births to our community-based Health Promoters, who then visit the family home with specially designed nursing bottles for the little ones and breast pumps to their mothers. The Promoter then counsels the family on proper nutrition and care for the infant in preparation for cleft repair surgery. \r\n\r\n++We are building sustainable health programs for rural Guatemalan communities, as well as the infrastructure that enables them to access quality medical and surgical care. This includes sharing testimonials and videos that encourage community participation in healthcare activities and empower people to make decisions about their own health. We also empower youth to help their communities through rural radio programs. \r\n\r\n++We have formed multiple partnerships, including the Peace Corps, George Washington University, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Rotary International, a host of North American surgical teams, the Guatemalan Ministry of Health, and many corporate supporters in both North America and Guatemala.

Through our Guatemalan sister organization, Asociación Compañero para Cirugia (ACPC), we maintain a presence year-round in Guatemala. We operate surgical facilities in collaboration with ACPC. Our patients receive general and plastic surgery as well as specialized care from gynecologists, neurologists, and urologists. We provide nutritional counseling and assistance, followed by repair surgery, to infants with cleft lip and palate. We educate and improve health within communities.

++Our sister organization ACPC has begun to take steps to become self funding by publicizing the work they do and reaching out to corporate donors as well as wealthy individuals with Guatemalan ties in both their country and the North America. \r\n\r\n++In 2014 we will undertake a partnership with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, a world renowned pediatric institution, in an effort to reach more infants with cleft lip and palate.