Open Heart Project
The Open Heart Project was created in 2007 by Dr. Sanford Ratner and Dr. Christopher Nguyen. Our goal is to provide surgical and orthodontic support to children with facial deformities in Vietnam and Nepal. Our initial project was centered on children with cleft lip and palate deformities, however over the past few years we have expanded our mission to include treatment of oral and maxillofacial pathology, trauma, and other craniofacial deformities.
We travel to these countries twice every year, and have developed a strong relationship with hospitals in Hanoi, Saigon, Kathmandu and Fiji. Our motto has always included the sharing of information and techniques with the local surgeons in these areas. Regular, and extremely valued team members include Dr. Ben Walline and Dr. Heena Chandra. Our team also includes volunteers from the UCLA Oral and Maxillofacial surgical residency program, as well as pre-medical and pre-dental students. We are self funded, paying for our own travel and lodging expenses, as well as the hospital costs of the children we treat. Every dollar donated to our project goes directly to the care of the children.
We are excited to be in a position to help these families. If you would like to become involved in our missions, please contact me through our office.
Sincerely,
Sanford L. Ratner, DDS
Please follow this link to read about our mission:
http://oc-vietlions.org/News/
