Biri, Phillipines
3 Missions in just 16 months!
February 2018/19 + June 2019
437 surgeries, 62 volunteers
Located 45 minutes off the northwestern tip of Samar Island, Biri Island is part of the 18-piece Balicuatro Group of Islands that speck the perilous space between San Bernardino Strait and the Pacific Ocean, and Samar and Luzon. At the center of the marine-protected Biri group of islands, Biri Island is known for its marvelously bizarre rock formations, tidal pools, and seawater falls. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 11,767 people.
Guatemala, Summer 2018
Cholecystectomies, hernia repairs, hysterectomies, and various minor procedures.
Juyjuy, Argentina
July 21 - 30, 2017
300 surgeries, 37 volunteers
Located in Northwest Argentina, the Province of Juyjuy (pronounced who-who-ee) is located at the base of the Andes Mountains. The climate is arid, much like Southern Colorado, with cactus, grasslands, and mountains all around.
Juyjuy receives the majority of all trauma and high-level care patients in an otherwise sparsely populated region. The medical community is grossly underfunded and constantly in need of assistance from outside sources to be able to maintain and improve their ability to care for the patient loads they are required to support. The surgeons there have a backlog of nearly six months worth of medically necessary surgeries.
ISM was invited to work with medical professionals in Juyjuy to help with this backlog. While there, ISM volunteers performed 110 general surgeries, helping to reduce the surgical caseload by half. Additionally, ISM volunteers were able to provide consultation in other areas such as ICU and ER. Seminars were provided for first responders.
