Surgeon Travels 2,000 Miles To Treat Patients

Posted on by Robert Hernandez

IU Health Ball Memorial Cosmetic and Reconstructive Surgeon Linda Camp has made numerous trips to Honduras to treat patients.

She took her first trip to Honduras in 2005 and has made more than a dozen return trips since. Dr. Linda Camp, a plastic surgeon with IU Health Ball Memorial is committed to a team that is dedicated to serving in a country 2,000 miles away from the Hoosier state.

Working in the mountainous village of Santa Rosa de Copan, Dr. Camp joins a number of other medical professionals, including IU Health Methodist Hospital nurse practitioner Lori Kemper and IU Health anesthesiologist Dr. David Dycus. Their goal during the trips is setting up a clinic in this remote community of Honduras to serve residents who otherwise would not have access to specialized healthcare.

“We’ve had as many as 140 people in one day,” said Camp. “We have patients who come from 16 hours away – by bus, multiple modes of transportation. It’s amazing the barriers they overcome to get to healthcare.” When she first started with the medical missions, Camp worked under challenging conditions – performing surgery on outdated tables and with older anesthesia machines. Now under the leadership of Central American Medical Outreach (CAMO), healthcare providers work from an air-conditioned hospital with updated operating tables, tools and devices.

“The going is the sensational part but we reach many providers throughout IU Health that have helped us carry out our mission,” said Camp. Retired suture supplies; surgical gowns and equipment have been donated over the years to aid in the Honduras mission.

On any given trip, Camp can be involved in 25-30 surgeries a week including cleft lips and palates, scar deformities and ear reconstruction.

“I go and I go back because I feel like when you’ve been so blessed it’s required to give back,” said Camp. “I feel like I can do that on this trip. Out of abundance you can give a gift.

— By T.J. Banes, Associate Senior Journalist at IU Health.
   Reach Banes via email at T.J. Banes or on Twitter @tjbanes.