Seven Patients to Receive Hip and Knee Replacements

Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Teams with Operation Walk

Alexandria, VA – (November 15, 2010) – Inova Mount Vernon Hospital and Operation Walk Virginia will help a construction worker, bartender, chauffeur, and grandmother receive hip and knee replacements on Nov. 20.

Seven individuals, who suffer from debilitating joint pain, will have a new reason to give thanks when they receive free hip and knee replacement surgeries at the First Annual DC area Operation Walk event at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital. Similar Operation Walk events will be held around the same time across the country.

The following patients will be available for media interviews after their surgeries.

• Robert Jones, 50, a Springfield, Va. resident and chauffeur, will be having a hip replacement surgery. He will be available to discuss the challenges the hip pain caused and how he hopes to return to work pain free.
• Carolyn Anderson, 64, a Waldorf, Md. resident, maintains two part-time jobs and looks forward to getting back to work pain free after having a left hip replacement.
• Bonnie Hardin, 56, a Woodbridge, Va. resident and bartender, suffers from debilitating knee pain after standing for several hours a day. She will receive a right knee replacement.
• Faith Ruderfer, 54, is homeless but living with a friend in Arlington, Va. She will have her right knee replaced.
• Cesar Fernandez, (speaks Spanish) 47, an Alexandria, Va. resident and construction worker, will receive a right knee replacement. He hopes the surgery will allow him to begin work again supporting his teenage daughter.
• Guillermina Salinas, (speaks Spanish) 76, Burke, Va. resident and grandmother, hopes to be able to do more activities with her grandkids after she receives her left knee replacement.
• Marta Mineros, (speaks Spanish) 66,  an Annandale, Va. resident, looks forward to feeling relief from the constant pain in her right knee after receiving a right knee replacement.

Operation Walk Virginia, spearheaded by Gerard Engh, MD, Surgeon, Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, provides international medical missions in developing countries offering free knee and hip replacements for those who cannot afford this treatment.

The Nov. 20 event, being held locally, will include a team of surgeons, internists, anesthesiologists, nurses, therapists and other clinical staff who will donate their time, equipment and joint replacements to provide surgeries and follow-up care to those who do not have health insurance.

Inova Health System is a not-for-profit healthcare system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services, including emergency- and urgent-care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova’s mission is to improve the health of the diverse community it serves through excellence in patient care, education and research. Inova provides a healthy environment for its patients, families, visitors, staff and physicians by prohibiting tobacco use on its campuses.