In Santo Domingo, Ecuador -- a new hospital carries the name of University of Notre Dame president emeritus, Fr. Ted Hesburgh, C.S.C.
Here's the story that ran on Notre Dame's Alumni site:
This summer, business major-turned physician, Dr. David Gaus, helped to open Hesburgh Hospital on behalf of Andean Health & Development, a nonprofit aimed at providing quality and sustainable healthcare for rural poor in the Ecuador.
Through the inspiration of Fr. Hesburgh, Dr. Gaus attended medical school and determined to use his degree for good: by providing residents of rural Ecuador affordable, accessible medical care. In 2000, he founded the Pedro Vicente Maldonado. Since then, the hospital has treated more than 75,000 patients, including 2,500 childbirths, 1,200 surgeries and 7,500 emergencies.
Now Dr. Gaus and the AHD have expanded these efforts, opening a new hospital in Santo Domingo, named the Hesburgh Hospital in honor of Fr. Hesburgh’s own presence and impact on the mission in Ecuador. The Hesburgh Hospital features 60 beds, comprehensive health services, residency training programs for family Physicians, and a research and resource center.
Unique to both of these hospitals is not only their distinctive approach to affordable healthcare, but also their mission to be financially sustainable within their first 2 years of operation, meaning that the hospital will operate off of revenue gained from patient services rather than outside donors. It is this kind of mission which allows the hospitals to operate as fully developed community partners regardless of outside forces—providing good for their communities.
LINK: WATCH THE VIDEO
