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Southwest Life Health And the West is History Community Travel

For kids, free surgery can change a life

Nonprofit Mending Kids looks to offer services to children in Four Corners

A nonprofit organization that provides free surgery for children whose families do not have adequate financial means or health insurance is looking to expand into the Four Corners this spring.

Mending Kids was founded in 2006, deploying surgical missions to nearly 60 countries all over the world. The organization at that time focused on a wide range of pediatric surgeries.

But three years ago, Heidi Zabriskie, marketing coordinator for Mending Kids, said the nonprofit could no longer ignore the children in need in America.

“We decided basically to take care of our local children,” she said. “We had never done it before. But we decided every child, no matter where they are, deserves access to surgical care.”

Mending Kids mostly performs surgeries that insurance companies would consider “cosmetic,” and therefore would not cover.

“A lot of times, whatever surgery a child might need, a family simply can’t afford the high-deductibles when insurance companies won’t cover it because it’s not life threatening,” Zabriskie said. “In our minds, we think that no it’s not life threatening, but its life changing.”

A group of volunteer medical staff members will perform outpatient surgeries on children up to age 18 on a few scheduled days throughout the year. Mending Kids will provide transportation and housing, if necessary. No insurance or legal documentation is required.

Near the Mending Kids’ headquarters outside Los Angeles, staff members serve up to 20 children in just one day. Zabriskie recalled one patient who had such an intense abnormality, the child was bullied and refused to go outside. It was an operation insurance wouldn’t cover, but the nonprofit was happy to help.

Now, the organization is looking to set up a local base to reach into the Four Corners as part of its Hometown Mission, Zabriskie said. The goal is to set up one or two days on a weekend in May 2016, and perform as many surgeries as possible.

Zabriskie said the nonprofit is still in talks with a few surgical hospitals in the Durango area to set up a weekend Mending Kids can use a facility. Then, based on patient interest and needs, Mending Kids will rally a volunteer surgical staff from Colorado.

In the most recent study from the Colorado Health Foundation, 12.4 percent of La Plata County residents live in poverty, and just over 11 percent don’t have health insurance – compared with the statewide uninsured rate of 6.7 percent.

“We’ve had a really, really great response from people,” Zabriskie said. “We knew what a huge impact it can make when you’re helping your own community. For the children that fall through the cracks, we would like to help be the safety net that catches them.”

Mending Kids would serve a radius around Durango, including Cortez, Ignacio, Pagosa Springs, Farmington and Shiprock, New Mexico, among other locations.

jromeo@durangoherald.com

On the Net

To learn more about Mending Kids, visit www. mendingkids.org.



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