OPERATION SMILE MEDICAL MISSIONS TO TAKE PLACE IN HEFEI AND ZHENGZHOU, CHINA, FROM APRIL 29-MAY 4, 2007

Two Operation Smile Medical Mission teams will work with their Chinese counterparts at mission sties in Hefei and Zhengzhou, China from April 29-May 4, 2007 to assist children born with facial deformities.  The teams each consist of more than 40 medical and non-medical volunteers from Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the Philippines, Singapore, 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:                Operation Smile International Mission Teams each comprised of 35-40 credentialed medical professionals from eight countries:

                        Dr. Han Kai, plastic surgeon and Operation Smile China Medical Mission, Ltd. Medical Director         Dr. David Chong, plastic surgeon from Australia

                        Dr. Glenn Merritt, anesthesiologist form Colorado

                        Dr. Marty Clayman, anesthesiologist from California

                        Deborah Smith, R.N., nurse from Ohio   

When:              April 29-May 4, 2007

Where:             Anhui Children’s Hospital - Hefei, China

                        Zhengzhou No. 1 People’s Hospital - Zhengzhou, China

This is the first Operation Smile international medical mission to Hefei, China, and the second to Zhengzhou.  The first mission to China took place in 1991, and since then, has expanded to include missions to Beijing, Dujiang-Yan, Hangzhou, Harbin, Kunming, Lanzhou, Linyi, Nanchang, Nanjing, Qingdao, Shantou, Urumqi, Wu Han City, Xi’an, Zhaoqing, Zhengzhou, and Zhongshan. 

In September 2006, an international team of more than 50 medical and non-medical volunteers traveled to Qujing.  The team from Canada, China, Norway, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam provided 236 free medical evaluations and 168 free reconstructive surgeries to children suffering with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities.

Since its first international mission to China in 1991, Operation Smile has provided free medical evaluations to more than 10,000 children and has surgically treated more than 6,000 during international medical missions.

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

·         Global Standards of Care – The Global Standards of Care include a rigorous credentialing process and a standardization of medical supplies and equipment that will be based on the model of care that Operation Smile has perfected in 25 years of performing cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries.  State-of-the-art equipment valued at $3.6 million will be provided to partner countries to ensure 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. Additionally, Operation Smile is providing emergency supplies in accordance with American Heart Association guidelines for pediatric and advanced cardiac life support.

·         Comprehensive Care Centers – Following openings in Vietnam and Colombia, Operation Smile will open additional Comprehensive Care Centers in Honduras, Morocco, China, India and the Philippines.  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, 43 simultaneous missions in 25 countries. With a goal of treating an estimated 5,000 children living with facial deformities, World Journey of Smiles will take place from November 8-16, 2007.  To prepare for that initiative, plastic surgeons and anesthesiologists from 22 of those countries recently met at Operation Smile’s world headquarters in Norfolk, Va., to set global standards of care.

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.