A few weeks ago, Dr. Hugh West, Chief Medical Officer of One World Surgery, shared a powerful anecdote about the impact of modern orthopedic care with a room full of Medical Teams staff and volunteers.
He told the story of anthropologist Margaret Mead and her assertion that the earliest sign of civilization wasn’t pottery, agriculture, or tools—it was a healed femur bone.
In the natural world, Mead explained, a broken leg means death. An injured animal can’t reach water, can’t find food, and can’t keep up with the herd. But a healed femur tells a different story: someone stayed behind. Someone took time to feed and protect the injured person until they could heal. For Mead, this was the first evidence of human compassion—the moment we began caring for our fellow humans in their suffering.
This spirit of compassion is exactly what drives the new partnership between Medical Teams International and One World Surgery, an organization that provides high-quality surgical and primary care in Honduras and the Dominican Republic.
Inspiration to Action
The collaboration began as a potential answer to a long-term goal that Therese Briede, our Supply Chain and Volunteer Manager, had been working toward for some time—to find and help provide supplies to groups performing surgeries in the developing world.
“We receive specialty surgical supplies that are not usable for most of our partners, and Therese knows that there is a disparity in access to surgical care,” shared DC volunteer and donor Paul Kingzett. “I think those factors, and maybe her personal experience with the miracles afforded by surgery, led to that goal. [Therese] should be recognized for her vision and leadership in making the partnership with OWS happen.”
Paul, who was instrumental in facilitating the coordination efforts with OWS, had his own personal connection to this project. Several years ago, he experienced a serious skiing accident that required major orthopedic surgery. His recovery journey gave him a first-hand understanding of how life-changing surgical care can be—and how devastating it is when that care is unavailable.
After Medical Teams’ first shipment to One World Surgery in May 2025, the team worked to deepen the partnership that would connect Medical Teams’ resources with One World Surgery’s life-saving work. 17 million people die annually from lack of access to needed surgical procedures, and Therese and our volunteers were inspired to help support an organization working to bridge this critical gap.
The Power of Partnership
Our first shipment to One World Surgery’s Honduras location included four pallets of medical supplies valued at nearly $55,000. The materials exceeded even Medical Teams’ own value estimates, and many of these supplies would have otherwise ended up in landfills or been sent for reconditioning and resale.
For One World Surgery, the impact was immediate.
“The amount of dedication you all have as volunteers is so, so incredible,” said Tiffany Healey, Clinical Director of One World Surgery, after touring the Distribution Center. “Just walking through this warehouse has been so eye-opening. I am incredibly grateful for this partnership.”
Dr. Hugh West explained why these donations matter so profoundly: “Our average cost per orthopedic case is somewhere around $500 per case. But we can only do that because we have partners like you who help us offset the cost of the procedures with donated supplies.”
The results speak for themselves. At just one One World Surgery site in 2024, the team performed over 2,000 surgeries and provided life-saving care for 21,000 patients.
A Partnership Worth Celebrating
The initial shipment of donated supplies in May made such an impression that Dr. West and Tiffany Healey visited the Medical Teams Distribution Center in October 2025 to meet volunteers in person, share stories from the field, and explore how to grow this collaboration.
This partnership represents something unique for Medical Teams: a rare opportunity to witness the direct impact of Distribution Center shipments and hear stories from the receiving end. It’s a chance to see compassion in action and deepen our own mission to provide life-saving healthcare in unique and collaborative ways.
As Dr. West reminded us, solving the global surgery crisis isn’t just about relieving human suffering—though that alone would be reason enough. It’s also about helping people return to function and continue living productive lives, creating a win-win for individuals and communities alike.
Margaret Mead saw a healed femur as the first sign of civilization. Today, through partnerships like this one, we’re continuing that ancient tradition of compassion—one surgery, one volunteer, one shipment at a time.