Building Volunteer Orthopedic and Spine Missions OUS

While most who visit Peru flock to eye the wonders of history such as Machu Picchu, nearly 500 medical staff and their families have gone there with a Utah-based nonprofit to provide healing to the current generation of Peruvians.

Eagle Condor, based in Salt Lake City, has built an effective and impactful system for sending physicians and their families to Peru for over 15 years, helping with everything from medical care to infrastructure to education.

There are lessons here for all orthopedists interested in making volunteerism a significant aspect of their career and, yes, family experience.

Eagle Condor’s former president and now the group’s official Historian and Medical Liaison, Jan Felix, told OTW, “When I began at Eagle Condor in 2005, I asked around about any groups doing spine surgery in South America. Since our organization had established connections in Peru, we decided to begin there.”

Now, 36 expeditions and 290 surgeries later, Eagle Condor is making real inroads into building self-reliance and eliminating poverty in Peru. Thanks to this nonprofit’s work, two Peruvian communities have seen a 48% improvement in school attendance and a 32% improvement in the average family income. And how is this tied to spine surgery? Healthy children can attend school…healthy wage earners can provide for their families.

Clearly on its way to meeting the organization’s goals of eradicating generational poverty and motivating individuals to become change agents in their communities, Eagle Condor offers child sponsorship, adult self-reliance programs, internships, and expeditions.

Jan Felix: “Individuals who participate in our internships live in the orphanage, children’s shelter or community where they serve. They strive to be of use in aiding children and families to develop skills of self-reliance and sustainability.”

For Eagle Condor’s self-reliance training programs, they partner with local governments in order to significantly increase household income and savings. Entrepreneurs are taught basic business principles while those with existing small businesses are shown how to develop techniques for increased production and income. The organization trains an average of 50 participants in a weekly class for 3-4 months, including one-on-one mentoring. Each participant is required to undertake a business plan, a personal quality of life plan, and a plan for enhancing their own community (a group effort).

Describing the medical situation to OTW was Bryan Jensen, Global Outreach Coordinator/Medical Expedition Liaison. “When we started performing spine surgery in Peru there was no health insurance option for those with limited resources—it was only a prepay system. This meant that patients were bedridden for months, eventually expiring from complications as the family worked to gather funds to pay for X-rays, hardware, sutures, etc.”

“There has been some progress, however, and now they have a program similar to Medicaid where patients provide some of what is needed, and the rest is covered. There remains a backlog of cases from a lack materials or expertise, but at least a farmer who falls and can’t work due to a fractured spine can be assured that he has a program to rely on. In the past, surgeons triaged patients, but now we have transitioned to providing material that is not otherwise available and offering helping hands to teach procedures. To put a fine point on that last part, Peruvian surgeons are not in a position to travel to conferences, so we bring the information to them.”

Eagle-Condor Humanitarian works hard with surgeons in Peru to identify specific case needs before traveling. In so doing, they have been fortunate to work with different anesthesiologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, IONM technicians (intraoperative neurophysiologic monitoring), scrub techs, nurses, and other ancillary professionals to help with patient treatment and professional development across the board. Long-term friendships have begun through these medical mission efforts. Many of these relationships continue after a mission due to the benefits of technology. Cases can be reviewed and discussed through simple video calls or instant messaging. This was not possible at the outset of our work as internet and cellular apps were not widely available.

Even when COVID-19 settled in, Eagle Condor was able to stay focused on the essence of healing and giving.

Jan Felix: “The Honorary Consul to Peru has told us that we have been the sole nonprofit operating in the country for over a year. In November we sent a team of optometrists to the villages, then followed up with a group of dentists—for a total of 11 different groups (268 individuals) since November 2020. I’m pleased to say that not one person came back to the U.S. with COVID-19.”

But the situation at the hospitals in Peru is troubling, said Bryan Jensen to OTW. “We know that the bottleneck has worsened and that they are inundated with patients. Unfortunately, our surgical excursions have been on hold since March 2020. And we know that people are in great need. If a man in the Peruvian mountains falls off a cliff, for example, he has to stay at home in his village, knowing that help is not available amidst COVID-19.”

“This is a country where only 40% of households have refrigeration and 38% of adults have a bank account. It is a rather informal economy where you generally ‘eat what you kill’…so if you can’t stockpile food, you must go out every day. That is one reason why they are having a particularly hard time controlling the virus.”

Whenever COVID-19 calms down, says Bryan Jensen, Eagle Condor will have spine surgeons waiting in the wings. “Physicians have told us that their experiences in Peru are life-altering and remind them of the real reasons they chose to practice medicine. And because physicians tend to spend so much time away from their families, they are especially appreciative of being able to bring them along on these trips and have them contribute to the local community.”

Eagle Condor’s neighbors in Salt Lake City have even stepped up.

Jan Felix told OTW, “We are thrilled that Innovasis Spine, a spinal implant company in Salt Lake City, has sponsored several annual medical expeditions to Peru. They see patients in clinic, perform surgery, and donate vast quantities of implants, including free screws and rods. They are one of the many generous, effective partners who are helping us to change the future for thousands of deserving people.”

About the logo:

The Condor represents the people of the South and the Incan “Chakana” represents bridging heaven and earth. For thousands of years South American Holy Men have prophesied of a reunion between the long-separated People of the Eagle and People of the Condor. Today, Eagle Condor uses the Chakana and Condor as our symbol as we bridge cultures.

For additional information, please visit: https://www.eaglecondor.org