San Diego Metropolitan - San Diego Scene

A group of UCSD undergraduate medical students who call themselves The Flying Sams will hold a charity banquet March 1 at the Doubletree Hotel in Mission Valley. Cost to attend the 8 p.m. event is $40 per person. All money raised will help fund a health care clinic in Ensenada.

The student group is a division of Flying Samaritans Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing medical assistance in Mexico. After two years working with the Mexican government, the Sams established a medical clinic in Ensenada to treat indigent patients. For the past year, weekend clinics have been held in a renovated building once or twice a month. Staffing is provided by students and doctors who volunteer their time. Services range from dispensing prescriptions to performing minor surgery. Clinics also provide preventive care in seminars addressing arthritis, breast cancer, hypertension and diabetes.

Many lives have been saved through the provision of the most basic care. One example is a baby girl who was brought in so dehydrated she couldn’t cry. The mother was provided with Pedialyte and pain medication, without which her daughter would have died.

The Flying Sams are negotiating with Mexican authorities for additions to the building that would include a community room, permanent pharmacy and third examining room. The group plans to do all renovations with donated time and supplies.

The banquet will thank people who have supported the organization and will help make the community aware of the group’s efforts. Neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran is the guest speaker. He has authored the book “Phantoms in the Brain,” in which he recounts his work with patients who have bizarre neurological disorders.

For information and to purchase tickets, visit www-acs.ucsd.edu/~flyings/ or mail payment to: Flying Sams, UCSD, 9500 Gilman Drive, C31 La Jolla, CA 92093-0077.