Salem, Mass. – More than a dozen North Shore Medical Center (NSMC) physician, clinical and administrative staff members have returned after volunteering their skills and services at an eye clinic in rural El Salvador.

Over a six-day period, the 14 member NSMC team worked alongside colleagues from across the United States at a clinic in Santa Ana run by Asociación Salvadoreña Pro-Salúd Rural Salvadoran Association for Rural Health (ASAPROSAR). During this short time period, the team saw more than 1,500 patients, performed 151 eye surgeries and dispensed more than 700 pairs of eye glasses. Most of the care was provided free of charge or at a significantly reduced rate.

“In the United States, having good vision is considered almost a birthright,” said NSMC anesthesiologist Ray Smith, M.A., Ph.D., M.D., President of the NSMC Medical Staff. “If you have a problem seeing, you go to the eye doctor and have it taken care of immediately.”

In rural El Salvador, where Dr. Smith and the rest of the team from NSMC volunteered, such is not the case. “Most people in El Salvador don’t have easy access to an ophthalmologist, let alone the money to pay for one even if they did,” said Dr. Smith.

Ravaged by years of war, poverty and natural disasters – a minor earthquake occurred while the NSMC team was visiting this year – El Salvador has seen some bad times over the years. But, according to Dr. Smith, the standard of living seems to be on the upswing thanks to organizations like ASAPROSAR.

“When we first started going down there, the facility in Santa Ana had no operating rooms and very limited equipment,” explains Dr. Smith who has been volunteering with ASAPROSAR for the past nine years. “Now there are three operating rooms, recovery rooms and some modern equipment. They have local doctors that are now doing upwards of 800 eye cases a year themselves. It’s very gratifying to see that our work is contributing to lasting change.”

For Jeanne Nevins, R.N., the gratification also comes from connecting with patients in a more personal manner than is possible in the States. “In El Salvador, I’m often with the surgical patients throughout the entire process, start to finish,” says Nevins, a volunteer for the past eight years. “There’s much more one-on-one interaction.”

The patients, she adds, couldn’t be more appreciative. “Some of these patients come in with very poor vision and any improvement we can make is like a miracle. You feel like you’re really making an immediate, positive impact on their lives.”

NSMC physicians have been involved with ASAPROSAR since 1999 and staff members joined the team in 2002.

ASAPROSAR was founded in 1970 with a mission to empower the poor in El Salvador and currently serves more than 90,000 people. In addition to eye clinics, the organization also offers educational programs in health, nutrition, family planning, child development, the environment and sustainable agriculture.