1) Surgical Outreach Facilities in the Americas. These facilities in selected locations allow the FACE team to conduct pre-op screening, on-site surgical procedures, and post-op care for children with cranio-facial traumas or disfigurement.

In addition, these affiliate locations provide a training platform for participating local surgeons through on-site and internet-based programs. Graduates of FACE Fellowship programs in Jacksonville (see below) return to these facilities armed with vital knowledge of advanced surgical techniques and administrative procedures.

FACE established a Surgical Outreach Center in Cuenca, Ecuador in November, 2007.  The FACE team has set up surgical facilities and mobilized a local volunteer team of doctors in cooperation with members of the Dermatological Society of Ecuador.

FACE plans to establish additional surgical outreach facilities in El Salvador in May 2008 and in other locations in this Hemisphere. These affiliates also serve to help identify children in need and to facilitate care, or, in special needs cases, transfer to the main FACE surgical facility in Jacksonville.

Transfer of Special Needs Cases to US Facilities. In El Salvador, FACE Institute works in cooperation with in-country health ministry officials, local non-governmental organizations, and international medical charities such as Convoy of Hope to help bring underprivileged children to FACE headquarters in Jacksonville for surgical procedures. Home stays and travel arrangements are facilitated by FACE volunteers. Some cases (as with a current child patient in this program, Jose Angel Antonio Argueta a 12-year-old burn victim from San Slavador) require lengthy stays of six months or more for treatment and recuperation.

Our main FACE facility, the Garcia Institute in Jacksonville Florida currently sponsors a medical fellowship program for US-based doctors teaching the latest techniques in facial reconstruction surgery. 

This program has been expanded to train selected medical professionals from Ecuador.  Two leading physicians in Ecuador, Edgar Reinoso M.D, president emeritus of the Dermatological Society in Ecuador, and Dr. Jose Valdevieso, an accomplished general plastic surgeon, were recently selected to participate in this program. These Fellowship program participants will form the core of the FACE training and surgical outreach effort in Cuenca, Ecuador. By learning advanced facial reconstruction techniques and training procedures, these doctors will help FACE enhance the quality of surgical care for children throughout Ecuador.

Train-the-Trainer Model. Participating surgeons trained on-site, via web-based monitoring, and through fellowship programs in the US will be able to use their acquired expertise to teach local physicians in the latest techniques and training methods.

Participating surgeons will have the opportunity to publish medical journal articles in the areas of facial reconstruction, enhancing their expertise and professional recognition in their country and abroad.

Upon completion of the fellowship program graduating surgeons will have a permanent educational and consultative resource through direct and web-based support from FACE team leaders in Jacksonville. This ongoing relationship will facilitate training of local physicians and help maintain an exceptional standard of care at each location.  FACE intends to replicate this model in El Salvador, and other locations worldwide.

The FACE team recognizes that the long term answer for supporting health care abroad is not primarily to send US doctors to conduct surgeries but to empower local surgeons and medical professionals with immediate and reliable access to advanced training and supervision through web-based technology.

FACE is developing an IT platform in our Jacksonville for high definition Video Teleconferencing, Audio and Data transfer between each FACE location. This platform will allow us to maximize time and resources utilizing: