Each year, May Hindmarsh, MD, 11 Samaritan medical personnel and a dozen other health care professionals team up to provide essential services in the most remote areas of the Philippine islands.

Hindmarsh, a physician with Samaritan Urgent Care group, and the medical team from Starfish Ministries hold seven, day-long clinics over a three-week period on the islands of Samar, Leyte and Panay – providing outpatient treatment to thousands of Filipinos most in need.
 
“This year, several of us went on a week-long hike into the jungle, providing three additional clinics to Filipinos in such remote areas that we were the first medical team to ever reach their villages,” said Hindmarsh.
 
The team’s supplies are donated in large part by SLCH and SAGH. The rest of the costs are covered through several fundraisers organized throughout the year, including a silent auction and dinner on November 20.
 
Over time, the results of their combined efforts have been powerful.
 
“In 2008 we treated a child who was paralyzed below the waist for pressure ulcers,” said Hindmarsh. “In 2009, one of our surgeons removed a massive tumor from his mother’s neck.”
 
On their trip back to the main island, Starfish Ministries was able to secure a wheelchair for the paralyzed boy to help prevent future skin infections.
 
“Being able to help so many in such a unique way is always an incredibly meaningful experience,” Hindmarsh replied.
 
For more information on Starfish Ministries, or to learn how you can help, visit www.starfishministries.net.