Successful zero-cost medical mission mends children who were denied access to care for conditions deemed as "non-life threatening" or "cosmetic" by health insurance providers

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. - Aug. 5, 2021 - PRLog -- On Saturday, July 31, 2021 the Mending Kids Family and the MemorialCare Surgical Center-Long Beach came together to provide 15 patients ranging from 2 years to 21 years with the surgical care they had long been waiting for.

Not including the Mending Kids Team, 47 volunteer surgeons, doctors, nurses and medical personnel gave up their Saturday to serve kids from areas throughout Southern California, with some traveling as far away as Phoenix and Fresno for out-patient surgeries. Procedures included the following: ear, nose and throat (ENT), orthopedics, urology, plastic and reconstructive pediatric surgeries.

Based on the 2018 U.S. Census Bureau's annual Health Insurance Coverage in the United States, an estimated 4.3 million children were uninsured. This mission eased the financial burden of recipient families from paying costly medical bills while restoring the self-esteem of the children.

Since its launch in 2014, Mending Kids' Hometown Mission is committed to addressing the expanding health disparity gap by removing obstacles to provide the necessary services these children deserve and need to correct physical and congenital anomalies.

Mending Kids wants to ensure that no deserving child is turned away and give them an equal opportunity to medical care so they can achieve a sense of normalcy and face the future with confidence.

The Open Hearts Foundation, co-founded by actress and philanthropist, Jane Seymour, has generously launched a $10,000 matching grant to provide another mission in the next few months. These surgeries are critical to the patient's well-being and several kids are in the wings waiting for the next mission.

"Let's not keep our kids waiting much longer. Let's mend more kids and restore their self-esteem." -Isabelle Fox, Executive Director, Mending Kids

None of this mending would have been possible were it not for the support from donors and special thanks to Open Hearts Foundation, La Canada Junior Women's Club, The Charitable Foundation, Thrivent, Rotary Club of Santa Monica, Rotary Club of South Pasadena, LA Lakers Youth Foundation, Panini Kabob Grill - LBX and Bear Givers.

For parents or guardians who need to refer a child, or medical professionals interested in volunteer opportunities please call: 1-800-993-5680 or email Hometown@mendingkids.org.

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About Mending Kids

Mending Kids is a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization that provides free life-saving critical surgical care to children in the United States and around the world from over 66 countries by deploying volunteer medical teams and educating communities to become medically self-sustaining. Since 2005, Mending Kids has mended nearly 4,500 children. Our surgical teams donate their time and services to train and perform procedures that range from interventional cardiology, open-heart, neuro, otolaryngology, plastic, orthopedic or general surgeries.

Please contact Adrienne Johnson to schedule an interview with Dorothy Lucey, Mending Kids board member, Isabelle Fox, Executive Director of Mending Kids, or Cristina Farrut, Director Mission Services, for interviews in Spanish.

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Adrienne Johnson
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