On the third Sunday of every month, a cavalry of volunteer surgeons, anesthesia providers, nurses and support staff open the doors of the Lexington Surgery Center in Kentucky to treat an average of 25 to 30 patients who can't afford to pay for their own colonoscopies, hernia and gall bladder surgeries, and other elective procedures.
"It's our duty to help people that fall between the cracks in the healthcare system," explains plastic surgeon Andrew Moore, MD, who's been honored as a "CNN Hero" for founding the Surgery on Sunday program 5 years ago. "This is what I went into medicine for.... It's about taking care of people and not necessarily expecting something in return for it."
Surgery on Sunday, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has treated more than 3,100 patients since 2005, most of whom are too poor to afford healthcare coverage but don't qualify for government aid. Hospitals and free clinics refer patients to the program, and donations and private foundations cover its costs. As of March, about 1,500 people were reportedly on the waiting list.
That same month, the organization branched out with its first satellite program run by local volunteers in Dallas, Texas, as Dr. Moore told CNN he hoped to expand the program nationally.
For information on how you can get involved, visit the Surgery on Sunday website.
Irene Tsikitas
