March 2010


We want to recognize some of our special physicians on staff at Valley Ambulatory Surgery Center for their generous spirit and efforts in giving back to our local and global communities, by sharing their time and talent with those in need.

Dr. Berg’s Medical Mission Trip to Haiti

Dr. Bob Berg, anesthesiologist at VASC, teamed up with Christ Community Church’s Medical Mission to Haiti in February after Dr. Rick Brinkman, a retired general surgeon previously on staff at VASC, walked into the surgery center one day and announced he was going and asked if any anesthesiologists would be able to join him. “I’ve always wanted to do something like this,” said Dr. Berg, “and I felt very strongly that this was my time”. He quickly made arrangements with work and family, and began the necessary immunizations he needed before setting off to Haiti with Dr. Brinkman and the assembled team of volunteers.

When the group arrived in Haiti, 2 1⁄2 weeks had passed since the earthquake. “Most of the patients requiring surgery for traumatic injuries suffered from the quake were undergoing their second surgeries,” said Dr. Berg. “They needed amputation revisions, wound care or skin grafts.” The majority of surgeries he provided anesthesia for were overdue“elective surgeries” such as hernias, hysterectomies and thyroidectomies. Their team performed a total of about 50 surgeries during their two-week stay.

The conditions at the hospital where the team served were less than ideal. There was no running water or electricity unless the generator was turned on; since the generator could only be run for limited times, it would be turned on for surgeries and turned off as soon as the operating team was finished. “The house they put us up at was nice, by Haiti standards,” said Dr. Berg. “Again, no running water or electricity unless the generator was running. But we were very comfortable.”

When asked what he, personally brought back from his service in Haiti, Dr. Berg replied, “ The awareness of how blessed we are to live in America. But when I thought about it more, I started to think that maybe they (the Haitian people) are more blessed than we are. Because of their suffering, they feel much closer to God. They realize their greater need for God because of how much they have to endure. I think itʼs harder for us, who are privileged to live such a comfortable life, to come to that realization.”

Dr. Berg added that he is happy he had such a wonderful opportunity to act on something that he has always wanted to do, and that he plans on participating in another medical mission sometime in the future.

Tri City Health Partnership

Founded in 2001 by local community members and a group of local doctors, the Tri City Health Partnership (TCHP) is a free medical clinic that serves low income residents of the Tri-City area who do not have any health insurance benefits and cannot afford medical care. TCHP is a non-profit 501(c )3 organization operating on funding from local trusts, foundations, United Way, service clubs and private donations. Many of the doctors on staff at VASC volunteer their services to the clinic’s patients, and VASC donates its facility for surgery, while the staff of the anesthesia department (VASC Anesthesia) donate their services as well.

This year, our medical staff partners decided to go a step further in support of the TCHP clinic, and sponsored the entertainment for a fundraiser held on January 29 at Onesti’s Supper Club in St. Charles. The theme was “Partying with the Rat Pack” and elicited such great community support that it sold out before the event was held! Many of our medical staff attended and financially supported this event.

For more information on the TCHP clinic, visit www.tchpfreeclinic.com or call 630-377-9277.

Dr. Taft returns home from Afghanistan

Dr. Nancy Taft, a general surgeon with General Surgery Group SC (Dr. Preston Reilly, Dr. Paul Batty, Dr. Andrew Kramer and Dr. Dean Shoener) just returned home from a 90-day tour with the U.S. Army Reserves in Afghanistan. While there, Dr. Taft treated the injuries of U.S. and Afghan soldiers, civilians and even members of the Taliban. The hospital where she was working was in a dangerous location, and they were constantly being warned about the Taliban aiming rockets at them. But Dr. Taft came away happy that she had served her country in this way.

“It was an honor and a privilege to serve,” she said. “It was the best thing I’ve ever done in my life.” Dr. Taft came home last month to rejoin her practice. She specializes in breast surgery and she completed a breast cancer fellowship at Northwestern University. General Surgery Group is located at 1665 South Street, Geneva; 630-208-7874.

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Click on an image to view the Photo Gallery from Afghanistan.

Photo Gallery from Haiti.