Volunteers needed:

Medicine team: they will travel to communities for 4 to 5 days

• 3-4 MDS of various specialties
• 1-2RNs
• 1 pharmacist
• 1 medical resident & 1 medical student
• 1 administrative assistant
• 1-2 translators

Surgical Eye Team:patients will be evaluated in eye clinic and will be selected for surgery

• 2-3 ophthalmic surgeons
• 4-5 RNs or CSTs for OR with ophthalmic experience
• 1 ophthalmology resident
• 1 anesthesiologists or critical care physician
• 1 preop/postop RN
• 1 sterilization tech
• 1 medical student
• 1 administrative assistant
• 1-2 translators

There will be an opportunity to visit Machu Picchu after the mission is completed. There will be a travel agent who can guide you through the process. Otherwise, you can return with the main group on March 28th. If you are interested in joining the Sights on Health team, please email Dr. Debra Messina here, for an application no later than 11/3/2025. Thank you!

Our mission concluded May 24, Sights on Health was able to perform a total of 78 cataract surgeries, 6 yag laser posterior capsulotomy ( removal of secondary cataract ) and 1 pterygium excision. These sight restoring procedures were done as part of this extraordinary 2024 mission to Peru In addition, we saw 250 adults and pediatric patients, and the medical team was able to help diagnose and treat a variety of illnesses and diseases. That’s over 325 lives we’ve been able to impact because of the Sights On Health team, the FNE International team, and the Asociación Wiñaypaq Pro Desarrollo Humano team. We have had a collaborative effort between our nonprofit organizations since 2012.

Many thanks to all of your participates and supporters!

On our 10th Anniversary trip to Calca, Peru. Our first after the pandemic. We screened over 90 patients and took 50 of them to the operating room to give them back one of the 5 senses we take for granted every morning when we open our eyes… sight. Every member of the team dedicated not only their vacation time but also their hard earned cash to fund their participation. Even then, and with close to $70,000 of donated cataract surgical supplies from Alcon & Surgical EyeExpeditions, Sights On Health with the assistance of our generous donors, spends more than $24,000 to help those less fortunate. Last but not least we wanted to give a shout out to our very gracious supporters for all you do for us to make this mission possible!

A dozen obstacles overcome and another dozen of patients DONE! Restored sight to 12 very special patients! And our very first patient of this mission came back for her next day follow up! Look at that smile! Thank you to all of our supporters. With your kindness we can really help those less fortunate!

Day 2 Pre-op evaluations and sterilization area This is a great team!

Day 3 – Smooth day in the OR but so many patients evaluated today in the screening area! It was a wild day of bus loads of people coming in to be screened from mountain communities with NO resources! Shout out to our screening team! Dave Krebs, Ana, Jhon, Andy, Flo, George, Tatiana, Cipoletti, Vero, and Jessica! Bam Bam Bam! All taken care of!

Day 4 - in Calca, Peru. 88 patients evaluated and 50 patients went to the OR. There were some hairy times… and some great high fives. For all our past, present and future supporters… this is where your love lifts people up!!!

Shout out! – Today’s shout out goes to the administrative team that organizes this. Although we are but a small part of this whole organization, they work tirelessly year round to make this happen. Without our surgical team (mentioned on Tuesday) and our screening and registration team (mentioned on Weds) we would do nothing…

The admin team starts with Dr Debra Messina, our fearless president. Dr Joseph Ng, VP, Andy Maggiolo, Treasurer, Kenneth Roberts, Secretary, Dr George Coritsidis,Board Member, James Rienzo, Board Member, and Michael Sable Surgical Director. Dr. Frilo Silva from Cusco, Peru who has donated time and loaned us the equipment to make this possible and Dr Francisco Morales who, through his contacts helped spread the word and help us get our logistics planned out. FNE International, who was our boots on the ground who help cut through a lot of the bureaucracy.

Day 5 – It’s a wrap!!! We are done and packed as of early this afternoon… now to relax a bit, sight see and celebrate that we did some good in this world with all of our supporters help. Thank you all and see you all back home! 

 

 

 

SoH and Dr Morales In Collaboration with FNE international and CEPRECE-CUSCO … together, we are able to continue to make these endeavors possible since 2012. We thank them for their commitment to helping those in need.

“1983 –  George N. Coritsidis, of Southold, NY, is the program director of critical care nephrology at Westchester Medical Center. In addition, he volunteers his time on the board of directors of the nonprofit organization, Sights on Health, Inc. The nonprofit provides medical care, eye care, and eye surgery to those in need in South America and also on one of the Indian Reservations in South Dakota. Health care professionals and students from across the USA, volunteer their time and expertise, including Claire E. Triller ’20, who traveled to Peru as a third-year medical student several years ago for a medical mission. During the pandemic, they have provided financial support for medical and surgical supplies to the groups they have worked with in the past, as they have not traveled out of the country due to the COVID travel restrictions upon re-entering the USA. After receiving a letter from his roommate at Upstate, Bob Dracker ’82, regarding the Ukrainian war and medical support, they talked over the phone about doing something. This led to forming a team to bicycle over 42 miles through the five boroughs of NYC on May. 1. A total of $37,068.83 was raised. These funds have been donated to Project Hope to purchase lnteragency Emergency Health Kits (IEHKs), and other medical supplies for Ukraine. These IEHKs are designed to meet the initial primary health care needs of displaced populations in areas with no access  to medical facilities. The funds raised provided medical support to 40,000 Ukrainians for three months. Sights on Health plans to resume its interna-tional medical and surgical missions in early 2023. They are always looking for physicians, medical students, and healthcare providers to volunteer their time and expertise. Please feel free to email sight-sonhealth@gmail.com for further information.

The Sights on Health team just returned from their John Shanley M.D. M.P.H. Medical & Eye Care Mission in the Sacred Valley of Peru. It was an extremely successful mission; 815 people were examined in the medical and eye clinics.   The clinics were held in the Ministry of Health (MOH) facilities located in the towns of Calca, Maras and Urubamba.

• 313 patients were examined in the Medical Clinic
• 134 patients were examined in the Pediatric Clinic
• 15 ultrasound examinations were performed in the clinic
• 353 patients were examined in the Eye Clinic
• 40 patients were referred to CEPRECE clinic & to MOH Cuzco Norde Ocular Health Program for cataract surgery.
• Over 70 patients received Visual Disability Certificates as part of the Contigo, a Ministry of Health program. After their exams with our eye care professionals, these patients with severely impaired vision will qualify for a monthly benefit from the Peruvian government. This is a new program and Sights on Health made an important contribution to this program, as there are not enough eyecare professionals in Peru to perform the necessary examinations for the large number of patients that exist in the Sacred Valley.

Sights on Health worked with our four long standing partners and we are grateful to not only have a strong working relationship with them but also after so many years, we have developed friendships with them.

• Many thanks to Mike Cipoletti and FNE International for his in country logistical support of our Sights on Health team. He works with our team & Dr. Morales in the months leading up to the mission to ensure the clinic schedule is complete as well as securing safe ground transportation for the team and comfortable & clean lodging (thanks to Kiki and his wife who own the two houses where Sights on Health stayed).
• A special acknowledgement to Dr. Victor Rozas and the Peruvian American Medical Society (PAMS) for their continued support of our efforts in Peru.  Every year, they work with us in order to obtain the necessary temporary medical licenses and documentation from the Peruvian Government and the Ministry of Health.
• Many thanks to Francisco Morales, M.D. of Asociacion Winaypaq, Cuzco, Peru.  He works for the seven months before the mission with Drs. Messina, Coritsidis and Triller to ensure we have the proper medications and decides which towns are in most need of our clinical expertise. His involvement enables the mission physicians to refer patients with advanced medical and eye conditions for proper follow up with healthcare providers from the Peruvian Ministry of Health. Dr. Morales works with the local ministry of health (MOH), arranges for the facilities for our team to work in.  Through him, he notifies the local communities which kind of specialists will be arriving from the USA to ensure the neediest and most complicated medical cases are evaluated.  Dr. Coritsidis, our Medical Director transports a portable ultrasound unit every year from the USA.  Having the ability to perform an ultrasound examination provides the physicians with additional information to aid in making the correct diagnosis. Dr. Morales is able to refer the patients seen in our clinics for additional follow up care if necessary, to Peruvian physicians.

• Five translators from Asociacion Winaypaq, Cuzco, Peru spent the week with our team. Reyna Almirón, Milagritos Usno and Yolanda Siccos provided translation from Spanish to Quechua (ancient Incan language) and Johana Achancaray and Edu Huaracha provided translations from Quechua to Spanish to English.
• Dr. Silva & CEPRESE provided a nurse Maritza Olarte from his Cusco eye clinic to work with our eye care team for the week and we are grateful for their help.

Thank you to our Sights on Health team for donating their time & talents to make the mission so successful….

• George Coritsidis, M.D.  Medical Director, Team leader, nephrologist, critical care specialist from NY
• Tracey Weisberg, M.D. Internal Medicine from Maine
• Caroline Pombar, M.D. Pediatrician from NY
• Dr. Darren Triller Pharmacist from NY
• Damaris Raymondi, O.D. from NY
• Pauline Leong, O.D. from NY
• Jenny Steffens, P.A. & her daughter Ellen Church from Maryland
• Ana Castaneda Pharmacy Assistant from NY
• Julia Colmenares Eye Clinic Assistant from NY
• Claire Triller SUNY Upstate Medical School, 3rd y medical student
• Maggie Triller, Pace University, 3rd y nursing student
• Tasnin Kahn New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, NY, 1st y medical student
• Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook, NY, 1st y medical students:
  Nicholas Brown
  Theresa Gammel
  Alex Freedenberg * student group leader
  Kaitlyn Monroig * student blogger
  Brady Quon * student group leader
  Emelio Woodstock
  Priscilla Young

Date: June 29th, 2019
Location: New York, NY
By Kaitlin Monroig

Our blogger for the John Shanley M.D. M.P.H. 2019 Medical Mission was Kaitlyn Monroig. She is a rising second year medical student from Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook, NY. 

After several months of planning, packing, and prepping, the day is finally here! We are so excited to start our journey to Peru. As the day comes to a close, our travels are just beginning! First, we fly from JFK in New York to Lima, Peru. It is expected to be an 8 hour flight. After a 3 hour layover, we will fly from Lima to Cusco, our final destination! Because of Murphy’s Law, anything that can go wrong will go wrong right? Currently, 4 of our members do not have a seat secured on the connecting flight from Lima to Cusco. The ticket agent was hopeful that it will work out as we emphasized the importance of our mission and preference to travel as a team! Wish us luck! ¡Vamos!

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DAY 2: You’re hungry again?

Date: June 30th, 2019
Location: Lima and Cusco, Peru
By Kaitlin Monroig

Well, we made it! After some hiccups along the way, the entire NY crew made the connecting flight from Lima to Cusco. There, we met up with the rest of our team who had traveled separately, and headed for our final destination of the day: Urubamba. After everyone was settled in at the air bnb, we set out to explore the town and to satisfy some (very) hungry travelers (even if they already ate an hour before)! Some of us tried a Peruvian staple: Chicha! It’s a drink made from maize that has a long standing cultural and community importance in Peru. After an incredible meal, the team gathered once more to discuss the plan for clinic tomorrow, organizing medications and medical equipment and lastly, and most importantly, the significance of our mission. We have been so fortunate with the education and resources that have been provided to us and we feel it is our responsibility to share those gifts. A Promise to Peru aims to not only provide short term medical attention, but has helped create along with FNE and the local ministry of health, sustainability and continuity of our care for our patients. We are so excited to get started tomorrow, but tonight we sleep! ¡Buenos noches!

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Day 3: ¿Come te sientes hoy?

Date: July 1st, 2019
Location: Calca, Peru
By Kaitlin Monroig

Today we had our first day of clinic in the town of Calca, Peru! It was an early start, we arrived at 8 am to set up and were seeing patients within a half hour. We saw well over 100 patients, and most wanted to see both medical doctors and optometrists. Medical students and undergraduate students were assigned to stations: triage, vital signs, translators for our physicians and physician assistants, diagnostic testing and the pharmacy. On site we had ultrasound and EKG readily available. It was a collective effort by everyone on the team, and for our first day of clinic it went well! We packed up and departed by 5 pm. In the morning we will discuss interesting cases and ideas to create as efficient a process for patients as possible. Tomorrow we are back in Calca for more!

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 Day 4: ¿Puede ver mejor o lo mismo?

Date: July 2, 2019
Location: Calca, Peru
By Kaitlin Monroig

Word spreads quickly in Peru! After a busy day in Calca yesterday, we saw almost twice as many patients today! However, we created a more efficient system for intake and were able to trouble shoot and problem we faced. In addition, our medical students shadowing physicians were able to focus on their history and physical exam taking skills. We saw everything from blurry vision, gastritis, musculoskeletal pain, to even more severe cases of bronchiolitis. The people of Peru have been very kind and understanding. We feel incredibly appreciative of their patience. Tomorrow we will be seeing patients close by in Urubamba!

Today approximately 230 patients were seen in the medical clinic and the eye clinic.

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Day 5: Does walking to clinic count as a workout?

Date: July 3rd, 2019
Location: Urubamba, Peru
By Kaitlin Monroig

Another day, another hundred patients seen! Today we set up clinic at el centro de salud in Urubamba. It is a fully functioning clinic within walking distance from where we are staying. As a group we provided an additional resource for medical and eye care. Ultrasound and diagnostic testing was relied on heavily today and provided much needed insight for clinical decisions. In addition to celebrating our success today in clinic and ability to help those in need, we also celebrated two of our volunteers’ birthdays today! We had an amazing meal as an entire group and enjoyed many laughs (and lots and lots of food)! Tomorrow we are off to Marás! ¡Buenos noches!

Renaissance School of Medicine medical students Theresa Gammel and Kaitlyn Monroig obtaining medical histories for these patients in Urubamba. They will then be seen by one of our physicians. 

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Day 6: We are so fortunate for the gifts we have received

Date: July 4th, 2019
Location: Marás, Peru
By Kaitlin Monroig

We are so fortunate for the gifts we have received and we are thankful you chose to share them.

Today we were in Marás, Peru! Marás is a very small town in the mountains located near a salt mine. We saw over 150 patients between the eye and medicine clinic. Many patients today only spoke Quechua, an indigenous language of Peru. All week we have worked with wonderful native translators who were able to translate from Quechua to Castellano, a language very similar to Spanish. This week has truly been a collaborative effort from everyone involved and we are so appreciate of everyone’s hard work! Although we are here for only a week, we are trying to make a lasting impact on our patients. Tomorrow is our last day of clinic; it is only fitting it is at our home base in Urubamba! ¡Hasta mañana!

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Day 7: ¡Hasta luego, Peru!

Date: July 5th, 2019
Location: Urubamba, Peru
By Kaitlin Monroig

And just like that we finished our last day of clinic! We set up in Urubamba for the last time this week. Although we were only able to stay for a half day, we saw over sixty patients! Over the entire week we saw over 750 patients! All of them were incredibly kind, appreciative, and it was our honor to talk with them, listen to their stories, and help in any way we could. This past week has been an incredible experience and we can only hope we made a difference. Until next year! ¡Gracias a todo!