Carlsbad and Tecate Rotary clubs help kids with facial deformities
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Courtesy photo
The Rotary Club of Tecate joined forces with the Rotary Club of Carlsbad recently to cut the ribbon on the first children's facial deformity surgical clinic.
The clinic will perform complex surgical procedures under general anesthesia with the Mexican town of Tecate's state-of-the-art facility built specifically for the centennial anniversary of Rotary. Dr. Jeff Moses, Carlsbad Rotarian and founder of the Smiles International Foundation, along with his wife, Maribel, worked closely with Rotarians, doctors and local officials from both sides of the border over the last year to locate patients and arrange supplies and logistics. Out of the first 12 patients screened and treated, there were four selected for general anesthesia and two to four surgeries were performed for each child.
The surgical team leader, Dr. Kevin Smith, also a Rotarian, was accompanied by his co-team leader, Dr. B.J. Costello and their colleagues from Oklahoma and Pennsylvania. Dr. Marcos Ramirez from the Rotary Club of Tecate worked side by side with the Rotarians and on the dental team with Drs. Gary Godward and Bob Fleming, providing needed dental treatments for the children. Ramirez also headed the follow-up clinic for the children, assuring a successful continuity of treatment. The official name for this project is ‘Smiles of Tecate,' or, in Spanish, ‘Sonrisas de Tecate.' Right are team members in front of the new clinic.
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