For Beach Eye Care, Giving Back is a Family Affair

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Members of the Neatrour family at a local fundraiser earlier this year

NORFOLK, VA (07/19/2011)(readMedia)-- The members of the Neatrour family of Virginia Beach, Va., are prepped for a major trip to the Philippines this summer, but they aren't going on vacation.

For the past year, family members, including Dr. G. Peyton Neatrour of Beach Eye Care, have fundraised and planned for a volunteer healthcare mission to the Philippines. In-country, they'll collect patient data, deliver important training to vision care providers and provide clinical care to patients, on behalf of Physicians for Peace, an international nonprofit headquartered in Norfolk, Va.

The Neatrours raised money to support their mission through fundraising efforts at Beach Eye Care and around Hampton Roads. They'll be in the Philippines July 16-27 through Seeing Clearly, a program Physicians for Peace founded in 2006 to address the overwhelming need for vision care in underserved areas, including the Philippines, where more than half a million people are blind and many more are visually impaired.

"The Neatrours have truly come together as a family to support this mission," said Brig. Gen. Ron Sconyers (USAF, Ret.), president and CEO of Physicians for Peace. "Their mission is particularly important because Physicians for Peace is currently working to eradicate treatable blindness in the Philippines' Surigao del Sur province by the year 2020, an effort that aligns with the World Health Organization's Vision 2020 efforts."

On the July mission, Dr. Neatrour will perform cataract surgeries using donated equipment alongside in-country volunteer ophthalmologists. The rest of the team, including Leslie Neatrour and the couple's three children, Katie, Greg and Kristin, a rising second-year at Eastern Virginia Medical School, will collect valuable patient data. Rounding out the team are Dr. Juan Montero, a retired surgeon from Chesapeake, Va., Hakan Pehlivan, a rising second-year at the School of Medicine at the University of Virginia, and Charlotte, N.C., residents Dr. Paul Montero, a general surgeon, and Charlotte Montero, a nurse.

To schedule an interview with a team member, or to learn more about Physicians for Peace, please contact Mary Westbrook.

ABOUT PHYSICIANS FOR PEACE

Physicians for Peace transforms lives by training, supporting and empowering healthcare professionals working with the world's underserved populations. Since 1989, volunteers have conducted medical missions in more than 60 countries. Find us online at www.physiciansforpeace.org and www.facebook.com/physiciansforpeace. Follow us on Twitter, Physician4Peace.