From the AdventHealth Sharing Smiles Chairman and Medical Director 2016:
It’s been a great year
What an exciting year it’s been for AdventHealth Sharing Smiles.
During 2016 each of our three divisions has been expanded, our partnerships strengthened and our dream of year-round, in-country clinics and care realized. Sharing Smiles volunteers and supporters: You are what makes life amazing! We achieved many new milestones as we partnered to transform the lives of children in Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Here is a peek at what we are accomplishing.
Sharing Smiles’ goal is always to deliver hope and healing to underserved children through quality health care, education and training, in partnership with host country health care providers and civic leaders in order to build a sustainable legacy that provides care to these children 52 weeks per year. What you may not know is that we do all of this through three separate, but related, service lines:
- Cleft lip and palate care
- Pediatric dentistry and
- Pediatric physical therapy
Pediatric Dentistry
At the El Hogar orphanage in Tegucigalpa, Honduras Sharing Smiles now has a full time dentist to provide year-round dental care to more than 300 residents. Dr. Nora Nuñez joined the Sharing Smiles team in 2015 as a volunteer and now works full time for Sharing Smiles. Twice a year she is joined by Sharing Smiles dental teams where we offer collaboration, education and the exchange of best clinical practices. In 2017 funding for Dr. Nora will transition to the local NGO’s, finalizing the local sustainability of our legacy.
This is the Sharing Smiles story. Partner. Heal children. Be the catalyst to create change. Develop a locally sustainable legacy. Repeat.
Cleft Lip and Palate Program
Our cleft lip and palate clinic in Merida, Mexico has a similar story where we just celebrated our 16th anniversary. That is amazing! However, our fully staffed multi-disciplinary cleft clinic in Merida needs to expand orthodontic care to ensure that all children who need braces to complete their cleft care actually receive them. Therefore Sharing Smiles sent our on-site orthodontist to the United States for additional training and we hired a full-time clinic coordinator to work on-site for a year in order to create locally sustainable solutions to eliminate this gap.
The Sharing Smiles story continues. Partnering. Healing children. A catalyst for change. Local legacy. Repeat.
Physical Therapy
Our physical therapy division has been on fire too. During the past year we have updated and improved all of our policies, procedures and partnering models to ensure that each child has an active treatment plan with measurable goals and outcomes. Monthly communication and collaboration between the on-site therapists and our experts in Orlando guarantee that each child receives the care they need on a daily basis, year round, to improve their mobility and function and to reduce their needs for assistance. Our team and our model have been so successful that our partners are urging Sharing Smiles to bring this hope and healing to more sites.
Sharing Smiles. Partnering. Healing children. A catalyst for change. Locally sustainability. Repeat.
Because of the deep commitment of Sharing Smiles' volunteers and supporters thousands of children have received the hope and healing that they need, at sites close to their homes, all year long.
Thank you for sharing a smile!
Sincerely,
Chris Dobson, M.D.
AdventHealth Sharing Smiles Chairman and Medical Director
AdventHealth Sharing Smiles, formerly SHARES International, provides healing and hope to disadvantaged children in selected countries. By collaborating with onsite medical professionals and Rotary Clubs we ensure these children receive the ongoing care needed to help them do what they do best - smile. 100% of your gifts directly impact the lives of children. We achieve excellence in partnership with generous people like you.
Learn more about AdventHealth Sharing Smiles at https://www.adventhealthsharingsmiles.com/ or GIVE NOW
