CEBU, PHILIPPINES July 21, 2021 – 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.
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.
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About Smile Train
Smile Train empowers local medical professionals with training, funding, and resources to provide free cleft surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children globally. We advance a sustainable solution and scalable global health model for cleft treatment, drastically improving children’s lives, including their ability to eat, breathe, speak, and ultimately thrive. To learn more about how Smile Train’s sustainable approach means donations have both an immediate and long-term impact, please visit smiletrain.ph. For more information about Smile Train’s work in the Philippines, please contact philippines@smiletrain.org.
About Mabuhay Deseret Foundation
Founded in 1988, the Mabuhay Deseret Foundation (a Charity Vision Int’l affiliate) has provided thousands free and subsidized operations every year to correct medical conditions such as cataracts, crossed eyes, cleft lip and palate, burn contractions, post polio and clubfeet for the poor. To learn more about Mabuhay Deseret Foundation’s work, please visit mabuhaydeseretfoundation.org.
About Allegiant Regional Care (ARC) Hospitals
Allegiant Regional Care (ARC) Hospitals is a private healthcare facility that was established on August 17, 2015 to cater to the residents of Metro Cebu with a focus on the cities of Lapu-Lapu and Cordova. ARC Hospitals aspires to improve the healthcare landscape in the Philippines. To learn more about ARC, please visit http://www.archospitals.org.