Goth, Brenna, “Enduring clinic remains lifeline for Mexican kids,” Arizona Daily Star, November 6, 2011: St. Andrew's Children's Clinic. … THE CLINIC: PAST AND PRESENT. A lack of access to medical services led Nogales, Ariz., resident Coca Romero to start the clinic in 1973. Coca Romero's first child was born with cerebral palsy, and she could not find the resources he needed close to home. The clinic began in a home in Nogales, Sonora, with seven children and an orthopedic surgeon who volunteered his time, Coca Romero said. Patients and doctors were added, and it moved across the border to St. Andrew's Episcopal Church a few years later.
The clinic has continued to expand and now fills every space in the church when it's open. A preschool classroom is used for orthopedic consultations. Eye exams are done in the sanctuary. Hearing aids are fitted in the sacristy. Patients, parents and siblings drive or travel by bus from Mexico and line up around the church starting at 7 a.m. Some come from as far away as Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, said Dr. Jim Hayes, medical director of the clinic and a retired orthopedic surgeon. Families can be granted one-day visas to enter the U.S. for the clinic, he said. Parents must call beforehand to schedule a day to attend the clinic and are seen in order of arrival. Volunteers provide waiting families with coffee, chocolate milk, cookies and nachos as well as children's activities such as painting and coloring. They are also given food and clothing donations to take home. Hayes commonly sees children with club feet, cerebral palsy, spina bifida and scoliosis at the clinic, he said. Many have been diagnosed in Mexico but their parents want second opinions. Other parents cannot afford medical care. COSTS ADD UP. "They just want answers as to what they can expect for their child and what's available for them to function normally in society," Hayes said. Doctors at the clinic can evaluate problems and provide braces, often seeing children every month to check their progress. If children need surgery, they are often sent to Shriners Hospitals for Children in California or Washington. The surgery is free, and the clinic pays for airfare and other travel expenses. ...
St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic La Clínica, Spring 2009 Volume 12, Issue 1: “Welcome, Dr. Hayes: ¡Bienvenido Dr. Hayes!”: St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic has a new medical director: Dr. Jim Hayes. With wife Sharon, Jim retired to Green Valley, and
found the Clinic. Feeling fortunate, his assignment is both rewarding and personally
satisfying. He is especially impressed by the many volunteers who serve the Clinic children. The greater part of Jim’s career as an orthopedic surgeon was spent in private practice in Springfield, Illinois. He also taught at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, appointed as Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Surgery Division of Orthopedic Surgery. He was an active member of the Orthopedic Surgery Residency
training program. Jim served as a consultant to the Illinois Elks Crippled Children’s Foundation and the Division of Services for Crippled Children, State of Illinois. Active in local, state and national medical organizations, he chaired the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Memorial Medical Center, Springfield; was president of the Illinois Orthopedic Society; was appointed to the Board of Councilors of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons; and served as chairman of the Midwestern
Membership Committee for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. He has published medical papers in orthopedic surgical journals and textbooks. [Source: http://www.standrewsclinic.org/Documents/ClinicNews/NewsletterSpring09web.pdf]
See also: "St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic: 35 years of service to impoverished Mexican children" [http://www.standrewsclinic.org/Documents/ClinicNews/NewsletterSpring09web.pdf]
More St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic newsletter issues at: http://www.standrewsclinic.org/Newsletters/newsletters.htm
The clinic has continued to expand and now fills every space in the church when it's open. A preschool classroom is used for orthopedic consultations. Eye exams are done in the sanctuary. Hearing aids are fitted in the sacristy. Patients, parents and siblings drive or travel by bus from Mexico and line up around the church starting at 7 a.m. Some come from as far away as Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, said Dr. Jim Hayes, medical director of the clinic and a retired orthopedic surgeon. Families can be granted one-day visas to enter the U.S. for the clinic, he said. Parents must call beforehand to schedule a day to attend the clinic and are seen in order of arrival. Volunteers provide waiting families with coffee, chocolate milk, cookies and nachos as well as children's activities such as painting and coloring. They are also given food and clothing donations to take home. Hayes commonly sees children with club feet, cerebral palsy, spina bifida and scoliosis at the clinic, he said. Many have been diagnosed in Mexico but their parents want second opinions. Other parents cannot afford medical care. COSTS ADD UP. "They just want answers as to what they can expect for their child and what's available for them to function normally in society," Hayes said. Doctors at the clinic can evaluate problems and provide braces, often seeing children every month to check their progress. If children need surgery, they are often sent to Shriners Hospitals for Children in California or Washington. The surgery is free, and the clinic pays for airfare and other travel expenses. ...
St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic La Clínica, Spring 2009 Volume 12, Issue 1: “Welcome, Dr. Hayes: ¡Bienvenido Dr. Hayes!”: St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic has a new medical director: Dr. Jim Hayes. With wife Sharon, Jim retired to Green Valley, and
found the Clinic. Feeling fortunate, his assignment is both rewarding and personally
satisfying. He is especially impressed by the many volunteers who serve the Clinic children. The greater part of Jim’s career as an orthopedic surgeon was spent in private practice in Springfield, Illinois. He also taught at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, appointed as Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Surgery Division of Orthopedic Surgery. He was an active member of the Orthopedic Surgery Residency
training program. Jim served as a consultant to the Illinois Elks Crippled Children’s Foundation and the Division of Services for Crippled Children, State of Illinois. Active in local, state and national medical organizations, he chaired the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Memorial Medical Center, Springfield; was president of the Illinois Orthopedic Society; was appointed to the Board of Councilors of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons; and served as chairman of the Midwestern
Membership Committee for the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. He has published medical papers in orthopedic surgical journals and textbooks. [Source: http://www.standrewsclinic.org/Documents/ClinicNews/NewsletterSpring09web.pdf]
See also: "St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic: 35 years of service to impoverished Mexican children" [http://www.standrewsclinic.org/Documents/ClinicNews/NewsletterSpring09web.pdf]
More St. Andrew’s Children’s Clinic newsletter issues at: http://www.standrewsclinic.org/Newsletters/newsletters.htm
Master pnID
AMH-PN1548
Src1 DP
AHSL-DP
Residence(s)
Springfield IL
Nogales