In the realm of short-term medical missions, the importance of delivering consistent care cannot be overstated. Achieving clinical success and understanding surgical outcomes rely heavily on maintaining continuity. For over a decade, the Monroe Carell Jr Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt has extended its compassionate care not only to children at home but also to those in need around the globe.

Since 2005, the Monroe Carell Jr Children’s Hospital has been a driving force behind 23 1-week pediatric surgical expeditions to Guatemala City, Guatemala. These missions have brought much-needed surgical care to children facing desperate circumstances. Each trip focuses on 1 of 4 pediatric surgical specialties: ophthalmology, orthopedics, otolaryngology, and urology. These surgical missions, conducted twice a year, are possible through collaboration with their partner in Guatemala, the Shalom Foundation.

The Shalom Foundation, a faith-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee, has dedicated itself to providing life-changing medical and surgical care to impoverished children in Guatemala. In a landmark achievement, the foundation, with significant assistance from Vanderbilt, inaugurated the Moore Pediatric Surgery Center in Guatemala City in February 2011 (Figure 1). This innovative facility was developed through the expertise of Vanderbilt’s anesthesia, surgery, nursing, and architecture teams. It stands as a unique beacon in Guatemala, offering world-class pediatric care. Within its walls, visiting surgical teams find a modern facility equipped with full-time pediatricians, nurses, pharmacists, 3 functional operating rooms, sterilization equipment, and essential support staff (Figure 2). Teams of volunteer medical professionals from various US children’s hospitals, including Vanderbilt, converge here to collaborate with local medical specialists, offering health, healing, and hope to children and their families. The shared objectives of the Moore Center and the Monroe Carell Jr Children’s Hospital revolve around delivering continuous care through recurring short-term mission trips. An exemplary case is that of a young boy who endured a pelvic fracture and posterior urethral disruption and received surgical care across 3 separate mission trips by the dedicated Vanderbilt team (Figure 3).

Throughout the years, the Monroe Carell Jr Children’s Hospital mission trips have left an indelible mark. Their 23 teams have performed over 1100 surgeries and have evaluated more than 2000 patients in clinics. Each surgical mission brings together 15 to 17 Vanderbilt faculty and staff, offering a distinctive opportunity to serve children in dire need. The mission typically unfolds with a full clinic day at the Moore Center on Sunday, where surgeons and anesthesiologists evaluate over 100 children to identify the most suitable surgical candidates for the week. Subsequently, the week from Mondays through Fridays becomes a continuous stream of full days dedicated to surgery, averaging about 48 cases per mission, depending on the specialty (Figures 4 and 5). Remarkably, the otolaryngology team set a record with an astounding 91 cases in a single mission trip back in September 2019.

However, sometimes on these noble missions, the medical team encounters a patient whose condition necessitates more advanced surgical services than can be provided within Guatemala’s borders. In such cases, arrangements are made to bring the child to Nashville, Tennessee, for surgery. The Monroe Carell Jr Children’s Hospital International Leadership Committee has laid out a well-defined policy for the submission and approval process of potential recipients of international charity care. Typically, 1 to 2 such cases are approved each fiscal year. Since 2008, 20 children hailing from various countries, including China, Iraq, Guatemala, Honduras, Liberia, and Uganda, have been fortunate recipients of international charity care through this compassionate initiative.