Ep 12: Global surgery at Childspring International
Listen to the Common Good Data Podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Over 5 billion people lack access to surgery worldwide, posing a massive global health challenge. This week, Drew shares about his work Childspring International, a global health nonprofit based in Atlanta which just completed its 5,000th pediatric surgery this month. Drew describes Childspring’s projects in pediatric orthopedics, cardiology, plastics, and general surgery and the organization’s growing focus on supporting medical capacity building. He also describes how he integrates a lens of accompaniment when working with children, families, and communities seeking access to surgical care. Be sure to participate in this week’s Betcha Don’t Remember to test your knowledge of the #1 billboard song of 1997.
Resources and Links
Our Guest
Since you already know about Drew, we’ve included information about Childspring International and the work they are doing to provide children and their families with access to surgery around the world.
Childspring International, a faith-based 501(c)3 nonprofit, grew out of the efforts of medical missionary teams to improve the health conditions of impoverished children in El Salvador in 1985. Overwhelmed by the number of children they were unable to treat, these missionaries sought help from doctors and hospitals in the United States.
In 2001, Rose Emily Bermudez, the head of the missions committee at First Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, and friends, formally established a nonprofit to address the medical concerns of these children. In 2006, this organization was named Childspring International.
In 2019, Childspring set a new record with 694 surgeries worldwide, with all but 16 of them occurring in the child’s home country. These surgeries were worth over 2.6M, resulting in a substantial investment in surgical infrastructure in the communities around the world.
