Baja Project for Crippled Children

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For the past 36 years, the Baja Project for Crippled Children has been delivering both humanitarian care and providing a unique clinical experience for students and residents in the southern California area and throughout the country. The Baja Project for Crippled Children delivers free surgical and medical care of the foot and ankle to indigent children in Mexico, El Salvador, and Honduras. To date the "Project" has had over 26,000 patient visits and performed over 2,200 surgeries. Clinical conditions frequently encountered include talipes equinovarus (clubfoot), as well as foot and ankle deformities associated with a variety of congenital and acquired neuromuscular disorders, e.g. cerebral palsy, congenital vertical talus, tarsal coalition, neurofibromatosis, myelomeningocele, etc. Typical of the "third-world", many of our surgical patients are afflicted with neglected, recurrent or untreated conditions that are rigid or recalcitrant in nature. Our faculty is voluntary, with the majority of the staff having participated in the project for over 20 years. As mentioned, we also function as a training facility for residents from programs in the greater Los Angeles area as well as other training programs in the US. Our clinic in Mexicali, Mexico, was established in 1976 and has been ongoing on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. The surgical missions to El Salvador and Honduras are conducted by the same faculty, however we rely upon the local orthopedic and physical therapy staff for aftercare. On these missions we screen approximately 100 patients and perform approximately 30-40 surgeries over several days.