Newswise — MAYWOOD, IL. – As part of a partnership between Loyola Medicine and HF Healthcare Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Humanity First USA to advance eye care, a team of specialists recently completed a mission trip to Nasir Hospital in Guatemala to provide essential surgical eye care to underserved communities.
The 14-member team was comprised of faculty from the Loyola Medicine Department of Ophthalmology, along with faculty and residents from academic medical centers including Cook County Health, Northwestern Medicine, Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Champlain Ophthalmology in Bethesda. The trip also included Loyola Medicine alumni and participants from the United Kingdom, showcasing an expanding global collaboration. Support for the mission was provided by Loyola Medicine’s Thomas A. Stamm Endowment, Surgical Eye Expeditions (SEE), Alcon Cares and individual donors. The team transported over 25 containers of essential equipment and supplies to Guatemala, which enabled them to carry out 65 cataract and pterygium surgeries. Loyola's ophthalmology team has collaborated with Humanity First since 2012 to provide critical eye care to those in need in Guatemala.
Charles Bouchard, MD, MA, chair of ophthalmology at Loyola Medicine, led the Loyola team. This was the 19th trip to Guatemala by Loyola Medicine’s Department of Ophthalmology. "Every trip to Nasir Hospital has been tremendously rewarding. This milestone mission allowed us to serve dozens of patients with the same compassionate care we provide to our patients at Loyola."
The opening of Nasir Hospital in 2018 marked a significant advancement in the region's availability of quality medical care. In the summer of 2023, a new partnership between Humanity First USA, and Loyola Medicine was forged to develop a state-of-the-art Ophthalmology Department at Nasir Hospital. The recent mission trip is part of a broader vision for the future, with plans to conduct 3 - 4 visits per year. These trips will include faculty, residents, medical students and surgical staff from multiple Chicago medical centers, further establishing a collaborative Chicago commitment to Global Eye Care.
The partnership between Humanity First USA and Loyola Medicine marks a critical milestone in providing comprehensive diagnostic and surgical eye care to thousands in need. This partnership aims to elevate the standard of eye care in Guatemala and will serve as a model for international health collaboration.
"Humanity First USA Gift of Sight missions have immediate impact on people’s vision, which ripples into all aspects of their lives. People came to us able to perceive only light or hand motion and nothing else. After 65 complex cataract and pterygium surgeries, those patients left with amazingly improved vision." - Dr. Asima Bajwa, Ophthalmologist and Director of the Nasir Hospital Department of Ophthalmology
Inquiries can be directed to Majid Khan at [email protected] or Carol Eggers, Regional Director of Communications, Loyola Medicine at [email protected]. Patients can learn more about Nasir Hospital at https://hospitalnasir.com/
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