(PRESS RELEASE) In line with the organization’s 20th year in the Philippines, Smile Train, together with its long-time partner, Mabuhay Deseret Foundation, and Allegiant Regional Care (ARC) Hospitals is launching the first Comprehensive Cleft Care (CCC) center in Cebu. Through this partnership, comprehensive cleft care services will be made more accessible to cleft-affected individuals and families in the region.

Since Smile Train partnered with local medical professionals and hospitals in the Philippines in 2001, the world’s largest cleft organization has achieved several milestones. The cleft charity has been able to partner with over 50 partner hospitals and organizations and strives to be able to provide its services closer to Filipinos. Through these partners, Smile Train has also been able to support more than 64,000 cleft surgeries nationwide.  

Mabuhay Deseret Foundation, a non-profit organization that facilitates medical treatment and care for those in need, including those born with a cleft, has been a partner of Smile Train since 2008.  

 

ARC Hospital, located in Lapu-Lapu City, was established in 2015.  It aspires to improve access to quality healthcare in the country by forging partnerships with internationally recognized organizations to be able to provide advance and world-class services to the patients they serve. 

With the commitment to help Cebuanos in need and the synergy of healthcare experts and the topnotch facilities of ARC Hospital, the Smile Train Cleft Center at ARC Hospital is well-positioned to provide safe, quality and timely comprehensive cleft care services to the community. Individuals living in Cebu and nearby provinces who are unable to afford cleft care, will be able to benefit from these services such as surgery, nutrition support, orthodontic and dental treatment, and speech therapy at no cost.

“Providing comprehensive cleft care to empower individuals with a cleft, all while putting smiles on their faces is at the heart of what we do at Smile Train. We are grateful for our longstanding partner, Mabuhay Deseret Foundation, and our newly-formed partnership with ARC Hospitals to establish the first Comprehensive Cleft Care Center in Cebu. We are confident that through this partnership, we will be able to reach more Filipinos who have been affected with a cleft and in need of comprehensive support,” said Kimmy Coseteng-Flaviano, Vice-President, Smile Train South East Asia. 

“We have been a partner of Smile Train since 2008 and have been providing cleft care for patients in Bataan, Palawan, Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao. We are more than grateful to be a part of this exciting journey and continue to support the organization in reaching more communities in the country,” said Melody Ledesma, Country Director, Mabuhay Deseret Foundation. 

“We are grateful for the opportunity to be able to help Cebuanos access cleft care all-year round. This partnership will allow all of us to be able to provide timely, safe and quality comprehensive cleft care treatment for the many patients who are depending on us,” said Dr. Alex Alegrado, Medical Director, Allegiant Regional Care (ARC) Hospitals Inc. 

The launch of the Cleft Center at ARC Hospital marks a new milestone for Smile Train in the Philippines as the organization continues to expand the number of its comprehensive cleft centers (CCCs) across the country as a way to reach more Filipinos in need. This goes hand-in-hand with the country’s first Filipino speech therapy mobile application which Smile Train has recently launched during the pandemic, as a response to the need of patients and families to receive comprehensive cleft care at the safety and comfort of their homes.

 

For more information about Smile Train’s global efforts and to donate, please visit smiletrain.org. To learn more about Smile Train’s local programs in the Philippines, please visit smiletrain.ph, follow Smile Train Philippines on Twitter and Instagram @SmileTrainPh, and like us on Facebook at @SmileTrainPhilippines. The Smile Train Philippines mobile application can be downloaded via Google Play and App Store.