We treated a teenager who had survived the earthquake in Haiti and somehow made his way to Moca and our mission with a severe cleft lip. He presented himself to us wearing a rag over his face so he wouldn’t frighten others.
- Dr. Jay P. Goldsmith, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, New York Medical College
This spring, a team from New York Medical College traveled to the Dominican Republic to treat those in need of cleft lip and cleft palate repair. They worked with the humanitarian organization La Fundación Niños Que Rien, or The Laughing Children Foundation. Their team consisted of four Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, one Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon, two Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residents, one General Dentist and a Nursing Assistant.
To make these surgeries possible, they brought MedShare supplies on their trip, including gloves, iodine, scalpels, masks, dressings, and syringes. Dr. Goldsmith stated the MedShare supplies were very helpful because it is difficult to find enough funds to purchase the necessary items for their medical trips. Dr. Goldsmith further elaborates:
Moca is a small town in the D.R. which has many underserved children. It is extremely difficult if not impossible for mothers to find care for their children with cleft lip and/or cleft palate deformities. In addition, there are many adults from the surrounding area with untreated or partially treated orofacial injuries in need of care.
There is a government hospital in Moca which we are able to use for surgery, but there are no maxillofacial specialists, to my knowledge, that use that facility.
MedShare has provided our mission with all the basic supplies allowing us to concentrate on providing care. Without these donated necessary basic supplies, such a mission as ours would be extremely difficult if not impossible.
The hospital in Moca is a standard facility with four operating rooms, now newly renovated and air conditioned. We provide anesthesia medications and services as well as all disposables. The regular hospital nursing staff helped us with the general functioning of the operating rooms and sterilization of our instruments, all of which we carry with us. These are dedicated nurses who volunteer their time to help us help the children.
I am very impressed with the dedication of the mothers to seek care for their children and the concern that the Dominicans have for the underserved.
What surprised me was the numbers of people seeking our care through word of mouth.
MedShare is pleased to support the New York Medical College team and play a part in healing all around the globe.
