Since 2001, PeaceHealth’s international humanitarian health mission program, PazSalud, has been serving the people of El Salvador, bringing hope and healing through collaborative medical missions. What began as short-term support from small groups of volunteers has grown into three annual cataract surgery missions and 15 annual optometry missions that provide thousands of Salvadorans with essential medical and eye care every year.
PazSalud reimagined its mission model in 2021 to leverage its local professional relationships and extensive in-country resources cultivated from 25 years of operating in El Salvador. Its missions are now comprised of Salvadoran medical teams utilizing medicines and supplies donated from the U.S. to deliver health care to the country’s most vulnerable patients.
PazSalud sees over 4,000 patients every year in its optometry missions that it conducts in conjunction with El Salvador’s leading optometry university, the University of Dr. Andrés Bello. An essential part of these missions is identifying patients with cataracts who then are given referrals to the country’s largest and most prestigious public hospital, Rosales Hospital, where they are given the opportunity to be patients in PazSalud’s cataract surgery missions. This two-step approach—screening in the rural vision clinics and treatment in the surgical mission—has transformed countless lives.
PazSalud’s Mission Approach
Through nearly two decades of service, PazSalud has refined its model for effective, sustainable missions. These guiding principles help ensure impact for both patients and volunteers:
Building trust and strong local partnerships; Preparing with the community in advance; Adapting to local needs; Supporting medical team members.
A Shared Vision with SEE International
In 2022, the partnership with PazSalud and SEE International formed the first Direct Supply Support site in El Salvador. Through this partnership, we are able to provide sight-restoring cataract surgeries for patients who otherwise might never access this care.
Together, we are building a sustainable model of collaborative global health service rooted in trust, community partnership, and a commitment to addressing the greatest needs.
