Medical Missions Foundation was established in 1996 by Dr. Anthony Racela to provide medical and surgical care to underserved locations around the world. The first mission was to the Philippines, his home country. Each mission has a personal tie–someone is from there, has a family or friend there. The sites are scouted and then a mission is established if a need is determined, the government is supportive, and a hospital/clinic base is suitable for our mission. Since that first mission, MMF has done 123 missions to 14 countries. We have done missions at some sites multiple times, others one to a few times. Currently we have yearly missions to San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala, Antigua, Guatemala, and Gulu, Uganda. The mission to the Philippines is every other year and India every 2-3 years. Recently a team scouted Kenya.
We are a volunteer-led organization, with volunteers primarily from the Kansas City Metro area but also from around the country and some from around the world. MMF works directly with the sites to provide the type of medical care and surgery specialties desired. We have evolved to mostly surgical missions as the people we serve often cannot afford and sustain the medications prescribed. Our surgical goals are to make our patients functional and pain free. In addition, MMF provides education via teaching CPR to local healthcare providers and via working in tandem with them in the hospital and OR. Different side missions have risen from MMF: The Burn Village, fire prevention and fighting, and Afripads in Gulu, Uganda; The Wash Project in Mali; clean water in Guatemala. In each mission we like to have an art/music team to interact with waiting patients and their families. This is sometimes extended to the orphanages and schools. And locally we work with Big Brothers and Big Sisters to provide school and athletic physicals for their Littles and siblings.