Canvasback is in the Marshall Islands and, as usual, are weaving their medical magic. This time around, the teams are covering dental and eyesight.
The mission officials provided the Journal with details from both clinics:
EBEYE: Canvasback just finished a Dental and Optics team on Ebeye. We thought this team was AMAZING! They provided 324 custom prescription glasses and given free to our patients.
This is close to $600/pair of glasses. Canvasback partners with Cherry Optical in Wisconsin and VOSH International (Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity) to provide these glasses. The Dental team was one dentist and hygienist with assistance from Dr. Uraia Rogotava from Majuro. They provided services and assessed how Canvasback can best serve the Ebeye Community in coming years.
MAJURO: The Ophthalmology team is currently at Majuro hospital and will be here till September 3. We are doing cataract surgery and other ophthalmic procedures as well as dispensing glasses. The team has 21 people from across the US and one ophthalmologist from Guam (Dr. Marjorie de Benedictus). The team is led by Dr. David Gano from Washington and accompanied by Dr. Nicolas Norton from California. Also, Dr. Charles Ahn from Chicago.
The operating room and clinic staff are from Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute in the Pacific Northwest of the US. This team is made up almost entirely of folks who have served in Micronesia before. Dr. Gano and Dr. Norton served last year in Ebeye.
We are incredibly grateful to MOHHS for hosting us and our team is always excited to be on Majuro and serving the Marshallese. We’re joined by Florence Injinmij, our Marshallese Translator from Seattle who has been on three teams with Canvasback in the last year. Serving with Canvasback was the first time she returned to the Marshall Islands after moving away at 16 years old.
This team is working closely with Dr. Wint Wahko, the new Majuro ophthalmologist. We are so excited that she is on staff at the Majuro hospital and are committed to supporting her success here.