Every morning at 7:00 am the team boards the bus for a short drive to the Clinica Panamerica.
Off the bus and into the hospital for another busy day.
Dr. Anne DeLaney, Medical Director discusses the day with Mission Liaison Juan Gallego. Head Nurse Sahrron Newton, RN plans the schedule for the mission.
Monica Morales, Recreation Therapist entertains the patients while they wait to be handed off to Anesthesiologist Sheila Wong, MD.
Operating Room 6, with two operating tables is ours for the mission. Dr. Jim Leake treats a patient with Dr. Sandy McCulloch, Jr. observing.
Anesthetists Rebecca Orlina, CRNA and Hana Le Nguyen, MD monitor the patients during surgery.
Anesthetists Sheila Wong, MD and Mark Tidyman, MD also work in the OR.
OR Nurses Carol Hager, RN, Deborah Dean, RN and Ted Daley, RN provide logistical support for the procedures.
Once out of the OR, patients are moved to the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU). PACU Nurses Rene Hollandsworth, RN (left) and Pat Leake, RN attend to a patient as they emerge from anesthesia. PACU Assistant Erika Gasaway works along with the nurses.
Each patient receives a colorful handmade quilt, courtesy of Wrap-A-Smile. Patient Transporter, Dick Loftus, Jr. wheels the patients up to the ward on the sixth or seventh floor.
Pediatrician Abha Goel, MD and Surgeon Jim Leake, MD check the patients the morning after their surgery.
From the seventh floor of Clinica Panamericana there is a panoramic view of the extensive banana plantations in the area.
Pediatric Nurse Practioner Karen Davis, NP and Ward Coordinator Paula Evans talk with patients and their families prior to surgery.
Quartermaster Jaime Chavez is responsible for all the medical supplies. John Carlo Hayes cleans and sterilizes the surgical equipment throughout the mission.
Leslee Hamilton maintains the medical records. Jerry Meshulam is the mission historian.
Assistant Mission Director Cyndie George and Mission Director Brian Walker manage and coordinate all of mission logistics.