Special Events
Norwegian American Hospital and Operation Walk Chicago Join Forces to Provide Free Joint Replacements to Improve Quality of Life of Disadvantaged Patients
Recognizing the need for health care in our country and helping
those who suffer from joint disease walk again
CHICAGO – On March 12 and March 13, 2011, Norwegian American Hospital and Operation Walk Chicago will perform hip and knee replacement surgeries on 8 uninsured Chicagoans who suffer from intractable pain and disability from advanced arthritis. This pilot program, a collaboration between Norwegian American Hospital, Operation Walk, and scores of volunteers and donors, is the first of its kind, providing life-changing surgery free of charge and establishing a program to meet the orthopedic needs of Chicago’s uninsured. Through this project, Chicago – the city of “Big Shoulders” – boldly attempts to tackle a national problem, finding a way to provide expensive, state-of the- art medical care for the uninsured.
Recent studies suggest more than 1.2 million Illinoisans are without health care insurance, 600,000 of whom live in Chicago. The recession has hit Chicago’s working poor hard; many struggle in hourly or part-time jobs with no health benefits. Hip or knee replacement is beyond their reach – a single surgery costs more than $50,000 in the United States. Operation Walk Chicago, through donations and hard work of volunteers, can perform a joint replacement for a fraction of that amount.
“Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States,” said S. David Stulberg, M.D., Co-Director of Operation Walk Chicago and universally recognized as being one of the world’s top Orthopaedic surgeons. “The intractable pain from this condition limits even the most basic activities, such as walking, dressing or climbing stairs, and joint pain is the leading cause of missed days from work.”
Hip and knee replacement surgery in the United States is one of the most cost-effective and quality-of-life enhancing procedures in medicine. Using the latest technology, patients can recover rapidly. Within a couple of days of surgery, patients can walk again, free of disabling arthritic pain. Thus, as a result of these difficult economic times, many who suffer from disabling arthritic pain are needlessly suffering because they are unable to afford surgery that cures their condition.
“Hip and knee replacements can be miraculous procedures, transforming the lives of disabled patients and their families,”
said Victoria Brander, M.D., Co-Director of Operation Walk Chicago and a board certified physiatrist. “There is no reason that patients in poor communities should suffer when we have the ability to treat them. Together, Operation Walk Chicago and Norwegian American Hospital are working to help those in need in our own backyard.”
“I am very happy that Norwegian American Hospital has the opportunity to participate in such a humanitarian initiative to improve the health of the most disadvantaged individuals in our society, said José R. Sánchez, President and CEO of Norwegian American Hospital. “I commend those who have made it their personal commitment and invested their time to make this event a reality. Operation Walk is a tremendous benefit to our community. Without
this program, those individuals receiving the service may never have had the opportunity to once again be healthy.”
Norwegian American Hospital is an acute care hospital on Chicago’s near northwest side. Norwegian provides high quality and compassionate health care services by partnering with patients, their families, our employees, physicians and the communities we serve.
For more information about Norwegian American Hospital, visit www.nahospital.org.
Operation Walk Chicago was established by S. David Stulberg, M.D. and Victoria Brander, M.D. and is supported by a team of over 40 dedicated colleagues and volunteers. Operation Walk Chicago provides state-of-the-art free hip and knee replacements for impoverished patients with debilitating joint disease. www.operationwalkchicago.com
Our Sponsors:
Thank You!
Operation Walk Chicago’s humanitarian missions around the world would be impossible without the generous support of our numerous private and corporate sponsors, as well as the gifts of equipment and services that let us bring hope to the people in need.
Corporations who support our cause donate supplies from the joint implants and surgical instruments to drugs and dressings. Operation Walk Chicago professionals donate their time, services and skills.
We would like to thank all of our friends and sponsors for their compassion, kindness and
continued support.
