WHAT:
On Friday, December 7, orthopaedic surgeons at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center will provide free total knee replacement to a local Philadelphia resident as part of Operation Walk USA 2012. All aspects of treatment – surgery, hospitalization, and pre-and post-operative care – are provided at no cost to the patient.
Millions of Americans suffer from painful joint problems and may end up one day needing a joint replacement. Each year, more than 900,000 hip and knee replacements are performed in the U.S., but that statistic does not shed light on how many people go without the surgery because they might not have the financial capacity to afford the procedure.
Building on the global success of Operation Walk, an international effort that has improved the lives and mobility of thousands of patients in developing countries, orthopaedic surgeons at more than 50 hospitals across the nation will provide free hip and knee replacement surgery to patients on December 7, as part of Operation Walk USA 2012.
Device manufacturer Zimmer donated the knee implant to Penn Presbyterian.
WHEN:
Friday, December 7
WHERE:
PENN PRESBYTERIAN MEDICAL CENTER
51 North 39th Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
WHO:
Charles Nelson, MD, associate professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Craig Israelite, MD, assistant professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery
Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.