November 1, 2022 (MINNEAPOLIS) — Scalpel At The Cross (SATC) today announced its membership with Medical Alley Association. SATC is a faith-based Orthopaedic nonprofit organization serving underrepresented patient populations in Pucallpa, Peru, and its surrounding Amazon Region.
Through nearly two decades, Scalpel At The Cross has effectively delivered more than $8.1 million of healthcare as published in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, a metric paling in relation to the value of lives transformed, relationships developed, and patients returned to livelihood.
SATC was founded in 2004 by Dr. Peter Cole, MD, and his wife, Nancy Cole, after a variety of factors came together to ignite their passion in Latin America.
“Scalpel At The Cross’ mission is to be a lighthouse for Christ through a medical ministry in the Peruvian Amazon,” said Kara Rodriguez, Executive Director of SATC. “Training and knowledge exchange among Peruvian medical professionals and U.S. volunteers, tracking of patient outcomes for accountability to the highest standard of care, and commitment to serving alongside Peruvian providers in the development of their community are all principles that are core to who we are.”
In Pucallpa, two local hospitals totaling no more than eight operating rooms serve a fast-growing population that now exceeds 500,000, with local healthcare infrastructure outstripped of the funding, resources, or expertise necessary to address the massive surgical burden in this frontier city.
“Believe it or not, in Pucallpa, when someone sustains a broken bone, the patient must purchase the hardware necessary for orthopaedic surgery prior to the operation.” said Dr. Cole. “The condition of the patient, coupled with the costs of anesthesia and medical implants, makes treatment unattainable in most cases. For these reasons, most of our patients report that SATC was their only way to recovery.”
The majority of SATC patients live under the poverty line and present with complex conditions from neglected injuries, late stage congenital deformities, bone mal-union, non-union, infection and trauma.
“Our patients come from humble circumstances, and from all over the rainforest, oftentimes by foot, canoe, or buses, and other means necessary to be seen,” said Isaac Mendoza, Patient Outcomes Coordinator for SATC. “Scalpel At The Cross is like an oasis in the desert for them.”
Added Dra. Luzmila Cahua Cruz, Medical Director for SATC: “I always wanted to do something big, to do something where I could make a change in people’s lives in Peru, but I didn’t know how. When I was introduced to SATC, I found that there are people who not only want to help, but have the skills and resources to help, so all the things I had been looking for, I finally found. [SATC] influenced my view of what I wanted to do with my life.”
Dr. Jason Caron, MD, who serves as Vice President and Board Director of SATC, shared how SATC provides an opportunity for him to marry his expertise in musculoskeletal pathology, passion for helping people in need, and his faith.
“Even from early on, my interest in medicine was largely an interest in being able to use it to be generous and to express God’s love for people. I always felt Orthopaedic surgery was well suited for such activities in the developing world. I feel God has blessed us with the training, resources, and giftings to be able to help these people.”
There are numerous powerful patient stories which underscore the impact SATC has had on a patient’s life. One such story is that of a woman named Alejandra of the Asháninka tribe, who after being bitten by a venomous snake when she was a young girl, developed compartment syndrome which led to gangrene and ultimately an amputation. Alejandra grew up marginalized by her village, and unable to walk but for a bamboo stick that she used under one arm like a crutch. Missionaries convinced her to come to Pucallpa for a SATC campaign, and she made the days-long trek to Pucallpa to be seen by one of the SATC Orthotics & Prosthetics specialists. There, and over the course of numerous trips, SATC was able to develop a prosthetic limb that she still uses almost 15 years later. That prosthetic limb not only enabled her to walk, but to have a quality of life that she did not have before – she is now working, married, and has a family of six.
Moving forward, SATC is focused on scaling its impact through the development of a clinical campus in Pucallpa, and is in the midst of a $2 Million capital raise to fund it.
“There are hundreds of thousands like Alejandra, stories that we have witnessed in Peru, patients living with crippling morbidities and without access to healthcare,” said Peter Cole (Jr.), MHA, who is leading the planning and development of SATC’s clinical campus in Peru. “Having validated the efficacy of our model and having listened intently to the needs of the patient population and medical stakeholders whom we serve, Scalpel At The Cross’ revamped vision doubles down on our longstanding commitment to Pucallpa and its surrounding Amazon Region by scaling its impact to settings up and downstream from the operative environment through the development of a clinical campus, termed the Miracle Campus.”
SATC’s capital campaign is well underway, having raised over $800 Thousand of its $2 Million goal, but it is still seeking the support of independent donors and organizational partnerships who align with its vision to help support the construction and operation of its clinical campus, one that will ultimately provide state-of-the art access to healthcare for millions of people currently living without it in the Peruvian Amazon. The goal is a tall task, but one that Dr. Cole is confident will come to fruition.
“I am so grateful that God has been able to use our gifts, while providing us with the most amazing people with whom to work,” he said. “Scalpel At The Cross is a labor of love aimed at healing hearts through our capabilities of fixing bones. It’s a joy!”
About Scalpel At The Cross
Scalpel At The Cross (SATC) is a nonprofit Christian Orthopaedic surgical organization serving Pucallpa, Peru, and its surrounding Amazon Region. Its model is to send medical campaigns to Peru to evaluate and treat patients with musculoskeletal conditions, while facilitating knowledge transfer amongst local medical providers. The organization employs numerous U.S. and Peruvian-based staff members and has included 500+ medical volunteers on over 40 surgical campaigns since 2004. Its patient outcomes program is unique for a short-term medical mission model and has been cited amongst the highest impact factor journals in Orthopaedics, including the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. SATC has provided well over $8.1 million dollars in total medical care and recently launched a $2 Million dollar capital campaign to raise funds for a clinical campus which will further its impact to its patient population and those who serve them.
