A group of five medical professionals from Essentia Health are still reflecting on their trip to Honduras earlier this year.

They went down to perform surgeries at San Benito Jose Medical Center back in January.

Dr. Phillip Thomas, an orthopedic surgeon, said they had a really great set up. “We did close to 30 surgeries in five days,” he said. “It really gets to the root of what health care is. Everyone was so grateful and so kind and so appreciative.”

It was his first time in Honduras.

For his colleague, Dr. Mike Torchia, it was his 8th trip. “It’s special going back, because that’s where I decided to go into medicine, and orthopedics in particular.” He’d go down there with his father, who was also an orthopedic surgeon.

He mentioned that it was a great way to get to know each other better. “Being able to do cases with another surgeon that you work with, that doesn’t happen here. You get to see different skill sets and see how talented everyone is. That’s really fun,” Torchia added.

Joni Kearns, a surgical assistant, Maura Chernov, an RN, and Dr. Lee Stokes, an anesthesiologist went along.

The Essentia Health Foundation provided funding for medication and supplies. The group also brought stuffed animals for the kids.

The outreach is hosted by a group called Aloha Medical Mission, which organizes an annual trip to San Benito Jose Medical Center to perform a variety of surgeries.

Here’s a link to the write-up by Essentia: https://www.essentiahealth.org/about/essentia-health-newsroom/essentia-health-team-brings-medical-care-to-honduras/