Children in one of the most under-resourced countries on Earth now have access to no-cost, high-quality, and life-changing comprehensive cleft care
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – April 29, 2024: CURE International, a Christian nonprofit organization based in Grand Rapids, MI, that operates a global network of eight charitable pediatric hospitals around the world, has opened a Cleft Care Center at its hospital in Zambia (the Beit-CURE Children’s Hospital of Zambia) – ensuring that even disadvantaged and vulnerable children in Zambia have access to the best healthcare in the world.
Treatment at the Cleft Care Center begins with a personalized and comprehensive treatment plan to address the unique physical, nutritional, and psychosocial needs of each pediatric patient. Once a treatment plan has been established, a team of world-class medical practitioners provides a wide range of care including nutritional support, psychosocial care, plastic surgery, orthodontia, bone grafting, speech therapy, and ENT/audiology.
This comprehensive approach allows pediatric patients to be treated by various experts – at no cost to the patient’s family – all in one place, eliminating major barriers to care like price, identifying specialists, travel logistics, and medical record transmission.
“Since opening its doors 18 years ago, CURE Zambia has treated more than 500 cleft patients. This Cleft Care Center is expected to treat 200 patients annually – a massive leap forward in terms of scale of impact,” said CURE President/CEO Justin Narducci. “I applaud our supporters around the world for trusting CURE International to leverage their resources for the maximum possible benefit of God’s children.”
The Cleft Care Center will be led by Dr. Meredith Workman, Zambia’s first full-time pediatric plastic surgeon. Dr. Meredith is a board-certified plastic surgeon with over ten years of experience in pediatric plastic and reconstructive surgery. She also served for four years as a director of the ACPA-approved cleft team at Children’s Rehabilitative Services in Phoenix, AZ, and has been involved in dozens of research publications and presentations.
“Cleft care requires a multidisciplinary team of specialists to improve the lives of children with a cleft lip and/or palate. I’m honored to serve as the pediatric plastic surgery specialist for these wonderful children and grateful to see the impact we’re making across this region,” said Dr. Meredith Workman. “This Center is truly an answer to the prayers of my patients and their loved ones.”
About Beit-CURE Children’s Hospital of Zambia
Established in 2006, CURE Zambia performs over 3,000 life-changing reconstructive plastic, orthopedic, ENT, and audiological surgeries each year for children suffering from treatable disabilities. Strategically located in Lusaka, the teaching hospital has 60 ward beds and three operating theaters. In addition to world-class clinical service, CURE Zambia ministers to the emotional and spiritual needs of patients and their communities. The Beit Trust, a UK-based charity, provided the funding for this facility as a centennial gift to the people of Zambia. CURE Zambia is a strategic partner with the Ministry of Health.
About CURE International
CURE International is a Christian nonprofit organization operating a global network of eight children’s hospitals that offer no-cost surgical interventions for children living with treatable disabilities. CURE hospitals provide life-changing care for children suffering from conditions such as cleft lip/palate, neglected clubfoot, bowed legs, burn contractures, spina bifida, brain tumors, and hydrocephalus. In addition to world-class clinical service, CURE ministers to the emotional and spiritual needs of patients and their communities. Since its first hospital opened in 1998, CURE has completed more than 5.3 million patient visits and 330,000 life-changing surgeries. For more information, visit https://cure.org.
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