This past March, Cindy Young, RN, Ambulatory Surgery Center Association member and administrative director of the Surgery Center of Farmington (Mo.), traveled to Honduras with One World Surgery to kick off the ASCA Foundation's scholarship program, according to an article by ASCA CEO William Prentice published in OR Today.
Here are the key details to know:
1. Ms. Young said the center was like those in the U.S., and that the team completed a total of 82 procedures in one week, including ENT, orthopedic and ophthalmology procedures. The surgical missions take place at the Holy Family Surgery Center in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
2. "There is no greater joy for me than to go to Honduras and be a small part of giving the gift of surgery to people," she said. "After their surgery is finished, it is priceless to see the happiness and gratitude on their face. I’ve seen a woman, hours after total knee replacement, when she was walking for the first time, crying and singing with joy because she was so happy."
3. The ASCA Foundation, through its partnership with One World Surgery, provides a scholarship program for nurses, surgical and scrub techs interested in One World Surgery's one-week medical missions in Honduras. The scholarships cover round trip coach airfare and program fees.
4. One World Surgery Executive Director Claire Cunningham said volunteer nursing circulators and registered nurses are always needed at the Holy Family Surgery Center.