Toronto’s Urban Angel flies to RP on eye-care mission

Toronto’s Urban Angel flies to RP on eye-care mission

Toronto–On February 12th doctors, nurses and a dietician from St. Michael’s Hospital will fly to the Philippines on a 16-day charitable mission to provide eye care and surgery for Filipinos who are financially disadvantaged. The St. Michael’s team of 30 staff and volunteers will also teach nurses and doctors living the Philippines how to provide these eye care services to their own patients to ensure continuing care after the St.Michael’s team has returned home.

The initiative was conceived of and begun by Zenny Gepilano – a St. Michael’s operating room nurse – after a trip to the Philippines where she witnessed the country’s eye care issues first hand.

“While in the Philippines I saw that many people become blind, simply because they have no money for treatment,” said Zenny. “That’s when I had the idea for this surgical mission. The whole team is touched and overwhelmed by the support that everyone at the Hospital has given us.”

The multi-disciplinary team is made up of health care professionals from the departments of nursing, anesthesia and ophthalmology. The group expects to perform 500 surgeries.

“At St. Michael’s we have a special mandate to care for marginalized and disadvantaged populations in our community. Charitable missions like this one take that one step further by reaching out to the global community,” said St. Michael’s CEO Jeff Lozon. “I’m proud to be associated with such compassionate and generous staff.”

St. Michael’s Hospital is a large and vibrant Catholic teaching and research hospital in the heart of Toronto. Fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, St. Michael’s Hospital leads with innovation, and serves with compassion. Renowned for providing exceptional patient care, St. Michael’s Hospital is a regional trauma centre and downtown Toronto’s designated trauma centre for adults. St. Michael’s Hospital is a place that changes lives. For more information, please visit www.stmichaelshospital.com.

(PRESS RELEASE)