Operation Smile

Operation Smile is a medical volunteer organization founded in 1982. It is an international program with many other countries participating, and Dr. David R. Broadway, a Denver plastic surgeon, is a team member.

It was founded by another plastic surgeon, Dr. William P. Magee Jr., and his wife Kathleen S. Magee, who is a nurse and clinical social worker. Operation Smile has provided facial surgery for children who would otherwise have suffered through life with severe facial deformities harming both their health and their mental and emotional well-being. The first such surgery was done in the Philippines in 1982. Since then, over 100,000 children and young adults worldwide have been given this medical help.

Dr. Broadway volunteers his time as part of a team of dedicated, credentialed medical professionals. To date, there are several thousand health care professionals trained and taking part in this program.

Operation Smile currently has National Leadership Circles and Global Resource Chapters in:
• New York City
• Los Angeles
• Hong Kong
• Rome
• London

These organizations raise funds and build awareness to help support international programs.

Operation Smile Credentialing
All volunteers must be credentialed by Operation Smile before going on any missions. Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer can fill out a short form on their website, and they will mail a more comprehensive form. They have been looking for trained volunteers in many fields, such as:
• Plastic surgeons
• Pediatricians
• Nurses
• Anesthesiologists
• Dentists
• Orthodontists
• Speech and Language Pathologists

Operation Smile Physicians’ Training Program (PTP)
Every year, the program headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, holds an advanced training program for physicians from around the world. It provides additional education and skill development in each doctor’s specialty field. Since 1987, over 650 health care professionals have attended this program.

In-Country Mission Programs
Medical missions are conducted in twenty-five countries where local Operation Smile Foundations work year-round. All funding is donated, and what is not needed to cover surgical costs is given to local clinics, to help them become self-sustaining. The goal is to enable them to care for their own local children, providing such services as:

• Health consultations
• Dental consultations
• Nutritional help
• Post-operative care
• Speech therapy
• Psychology consultations

Assistance From the World Care Program
World Care is another volunteer organization which helps children worldwide. It was founded in 1996 in Arizona, initially to help with education. It has since branched out into other areas, one of which is health care. World Care sponsors children and young adults with particularly severe medical needs, enabling them to come to the United states for medical care. Since 1985, more than 150 children have been sponsored and Operation Smile physicians have cared for them in this country.

Operation Smile Student Associations
Over 450 student associations have been formed in the U.S. and some other countries. Their mission is to build awareness of the urgent need in many countries for medical care not locally available, and to raise funds for it. They are also ways to educate young people on the joy of helping children in need, and to help them develop qualities of leadership and commitment.

Where do Donations go?
These life-enhancing medical procedures are paid for entirely by donations. It costs Operation Smile about $250 per child to surgically correct facial deformities. Including post-operative care, education of others about the program, and activities in the twenty-five participating countries for raising awareness of the program, the complete cost per child is about $750.