Operation Smile U.S. Care Network

Operation Smile now provides a network of resources to assist families in the U.S. with children with facial deformities. This network includes three components:

A listing of Referral Web Sites to provide valuable resource information about facial deformities.
A Physician Resource List including the names of doctors who volunteer with Operation Smile and are available to review a case.
An Operation Smile representative to provide guidance by telephone (757-321-3232).

For assistance with patients outside of the U.S., please refer to the Operation Smile International Mission Schedule.

Additional information on Operation Smiles US Care Network is available at U.S. Program History

Referral Websites

Disclaimer: The information on this Web site is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Operation Smile provides links to other resources without endorsement and claims no responsibility for their content. For information on how to help a child with a cleft lip, cleft palate or other craniofacial anomaly, try these links to other organizations:

American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association and Cleft Palate Foundation: www.cleftline.org
American Society of Plastic Surgeons: www.plasticsurgery.org
Cleft Advocate: www.cleftadvocate.org
FACES: The National Craniofacial Association: www.faces-cranio.org
Fresh Start: www.freshstart.org
Let's Face It: www.faceit.org
Miracle Flights For Kids: www.miracleflights.org
Prescription Parents: www.samizdat.com/cleft.html:
Smiles: www.cleft.org
Wide Smiles: www.widesmiles.org
SHRINERS HOSPITAL FOR CHILDREN: Shriners Hospital for Children is a one-of-a-kind international system of 22 hospitals dedicated to providing specialty pediatric care, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs. Children up to age 18 with orthopaedic conditions, burns of all degrees, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for admission and receive care at no charge-regardless of financial need or relationship to a Shriner. To learn about the care offered at each of the 22 hospitals please visit www.shrinershospitals.org.

Physician Resource List

The physicians listed below are some of Operation Smile's credentialed medical volunteers. They practice in the states indicated and have graciously given Operation Smile permission to be listed as resources on the U.S. Care Network. Operation Smile will continue to add more physicians to this list.

Disclaimer: The information provided is for reference only, it is NOT an endorsement of any given doctor or group.

Because of the actual size of the list, it is now conveniently provided as an Adobe Acrobat reader .PDF file you can download and save to your hard disk. Please click on the .PDF icon to download Operation Smile's US Physician Resource List.

Program History

Operation Smile began in 1982 with a single purpose: To provide surgical treatment for children and young adults suffering from facial deformities anywhere in the world.

While international medical missions were being carried out around the world, Operation Smile provided a program to take care of children in the U.S. This program was implemented in many different ways: Through the public school systems, through public screenings held at hospitals, or hosted at the headquarters of Operation Smile corporate partners.

In 2003, following a thorough review of our U.S. program and an updated assessment of the multitude of organizations that advocate for children's needs in the U.S., Operation Smile has converted its U.S. program to the U.S. Care Network.

This referral system allows Operation Smile to focus its resources solely on international medical care and to continue providing free surgeries to children in 26 countries.

With the launch of the U.S. Care Network, Operation Smile now provides a broader network of resources to assist families in the U.S. with children with facial deformities.