History
In 1995, Dr. Paul Lambert, an Ears Nose Throat (ENT) Surgeon, founded the beginnings of what would become Project Ear. In search of an opportunity for a surgical mission abroad, Dr. Lambert visited the Dominican Republic where he was introduced to Dr. Roberto Batista, a young Dominican ENT surgeon from La Vegas. The two physicians identified a need for affordable, low cost ENT services for the underserved rural communities of the Dominican Republic.
In search for a facility in which to provide this care and perform surgical procedures, they partnered with an already established organization, Medical Ministry International, which had a small established hospital located in Los Alcarrizos, Dominican Republic. In October of 1995, Dr. Lambert and 3 medical volunteers went on the inaugural Project Ear mission trip providing care to 12 patients.
Since the initial mission trip, Project Ear has grown to provide semiannual missions including volunteer physicians nurses, and ancillary staff to provide as many as 60-80 surgeries within a week. In 2000, Project Ear became an official 501(3) non-profit organization, under now current president of the organization Dr. Ed Dodson.
Since its inception, Project Ear has provided to the underprivileged children and adults of the Dominican Republic:
- Over 300 hearing aids
- More than 750 surgeries
- 1000 complete hearing exams
The beneficiaries of these services are families without access to private health care or the government health system. In addition to providing humanitarian aid, Project Ear has served as an invaluable resource in physician training. In 15 years, Project Ear has offered an international healthcare experience to over 100 resident physicians in otolaryngology, anesthesiology and plastic surgery.