Blanca’s House is a Hicksville-based, non-profit organization of volunteer healthcare professionals who donate their time to make available free, invaluable medical treatment for children and their families in our host countries. Whether through surgery, medical supplies, or educational outreach, Blanca’s House provides twenty-first century medicine to the underprivileged.
With the generous support of staff from John T. Mather and St. Charles Hospitals, a medical team arrived in Rivas, Nicaragua in March to help families receive essential immediate and ongoing medical treatment. Those team members on staff at St. Charles Hospital were Brain Healy, CRNA, Galo Burbano, CRNA, and Nicholas Craig, MD. Eric Hoffmann, MD, Kerry O’Sullivan, RN, Kevin Duggan and Julio Villamar, OR Techs participated as team members from Mather Hospital.
The focus of this mission was to teach the doctors and operating room nurses at Hospital Gaspar Garcia Laviana laparoscopic surgery techniques. Prior to this mission, the doctors at the hospital in Rivas waited for teams of visiting physicians to perform this procedure. Utilizing the charitable donation from Mather Hospital of laparoscopic towers and unused laparoscopic equipment from St. Charles and under the leadership and guidance of Dr. Nicholas Craig, the doctors in Rivas developed into skilled professionals and utilized their new-found knowledge with confidence in a very short time. Upon the conclusion of this mission, Dr. Craig felt very certain the doctors trained in performing laparoscopic surgery will be able to confidently perform these surgeries on their own with the laparoscopic equipment donated by Blanca’s House.
The next medical mission trip planned is to Salinas, Ecuador, from May 29th to June 4th. To volunteer or donate in any way, visit the website http://www.blancashouse.com or call (631) 923-1053.
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