By Bill Prentice
One World Surgery (OWS) opened the first ASC in the Dominican Republic (DR) this summer. ASCA has been a supporter of OWS since it opened its first ASC in 2008 in Honduras. We have been a part of OWS’s journey through the highs and lows and in expanding the organization’s impact over the years. I have worked with OWS Chief Executive Officer Claire Cunningham, visited the Honduran ASC twice and the DR facility three times, and seen firsthand how these surgery centers transform lives.
Founded by Peter Daly, MD, and his wife LuLu, a pediatric nurse, OWS provides free surgical and primary care to underserved communities and empowers volunteers to make a positive impact on global health.
The DR has long struggled with limited access to specialized surgical care. This new facility represents hope for patients who have waited years for treatment and opportunity for volunteers who want to use their skills to make a life-changing impact.
The 25,000-square-foot DR facility includes a surgery center, a primary care clinic and a visitor center. It employs close to 25 staff members, including an orthopedic surgeon who also serves as medical director, three additional physicians and a range of clinical and administrative employees. Currently, the facility sees 500 to 600 patients a week when it is hosting a medical mission while the local team sees an average of 50 patients a day.
Given the geopolitical dimensions and the state of global health funding, OWS is looking to ramp up the DR facility quickly, but it needs support. There has never been an ASC in the DR, so the surgery center needs clinical volunteers to train the local staff. The DR clinical staff have operated in other healthcare settings but not in an ASC. The ASC also needs preop and postop nurses and scrub techs.
The ASC received its certificate to perform surgery in September 2024, and its first surgery was orthopedic. Currently, the surgery center is performing orthopedic, general and ophthalmic surgeries. OWS chose to focus on these specialties based on the local need to make the greatest impact. The surrounding areas of the facility are home to people with acute and chronic health conditions. These residents work in sugarcane fields, where orthopedic injuries are common and often left untreated. Others live with chronic health conditions that go unaddressed because they lack access to affordable care or health education.
OWS’s Honduran ASC hosts 1,100 volunteers a year and OWS hopes the DR facility will soon see the same number of volunteers. The organization hosts one to two weeklong medical mission teams each month with up to 60 volunteers per team.
Volunteering with OWS is not just about providing care, it is about joining a community. When volunteers land at the airport, OWS staff greet them to ensure a smooth and secure arrival. The accommodation at the facility is modern and designed with volunteers in mind. Two to four people stay in one room, each have their personal bed, private storage space, and access to sinks, showers and private bathrooms.
Volunteers eat their meals together and at the end of each day gather in the dining area to share stories, reflect on their work and listen to speakers who provide cultural context or medical insights. The bonds formed during these evenings often last beyond the mission itself.
A typical mission week begins with orientation and team building on Saturday and Sunday. Surgeries are scheduled Monday through Friday, with volunteers usually working 8- to 10-hour shifts depending on their assignments. Whether you are a preop or PACU nurse, a scrub tech, a surgeon or a general volunteer, your skills are central to training and supporting the DR staff as they grow in the ASC model of care.
Volunteers often describe their OWS missions as professionally fulfilling and personally transformative. By volunteering, you are helping patients and training and empowering a new generation of healthcare providers who will sustain this work long after you leave.
OWS offers access to essential healthcare to patients who have no other options. When you participate in one of their weeklong medical missions, you are changing lives. Patients who might otherwise endure years of pain or disability receive the care they desperately need. Local providers gain new skills. And you, as a volunteer, return home renewed, connected and inspired. I hope that everyone in the ASC community will find a way to support this life-changing work by volunteering time or providing financial support.
Go to oneworldsurgery.org/give/ to support OWS and its mission to address global health inequities.
