FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 12, 2008

CONTACT:
Cindy Hickey, Public Relations
330-489-1212
cindy.hickey@csauh.com

Mercy Collaborates To Offer Free Cataract Surgery

Canton, Ohio: As part of Mission Cataract USA, Sanjeev Dewan, M.D., and Mercy Medical Center will collaborate to offer free cataract screenings and surgery for people of all ages who have no means to pay.

Nearly 20 million Americans can't see clearly because of vision-clouding cataracts. Thanks to Mission Cataract USA – an annual, one-day mission started in 1991 by Fresno, Calif., eye surgeon Frederick A. Richburg, M.D. – hundreds of people throughout the U.S. are given the gift of sight at no cost to them or to Medicare, Medicaid or private insurance.

Dewan, a cataract and implant surgeon at Ohio Eye Alliance, the Mercy Surgery Center and Stark County Anesthesia, will hold free cataract screenings by appointment on Wed., Apr. 9 at his office at 4469 Fulton Dr., N.W. in Canton. Patients who qualify will undergo free cataract surgery on Thurs., May 15 at the Mercy Surgery Center.

For a cataract screening appointment, call Dewan's office at 330-966-8461.

Cataracts are the most common cause of blurred vision for people over the age of 50.  A surgical procedure to remove the cataract and replace it with a permanent artificial lens can restore lost vision.

Dewan has participated in Mission Cataract USA since 1996 and has provided numerous cataract surgeries free of charge.

Mercy Medical Center, along with the Sisters of Charity Health System and University Hospitals Health System, operates a 476-bed hospital serving Stark, Carroll, Wayne, Holmes and Tuscarawas Counties and parts of Southeastern Ohio. It has 550 physicians on its Medical Staff and employs 2,500 people. Mercy operates outpatient health centers in Carrollton, Jackson Township, Lake Township, Louisville and North Canton. A Catholic hospital, Mercy Medical Center upholds the mission and philosophy of the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine and continues to be responsive to the needs of the community, including the provision of care to all, regardless of their ability to pay. For more information, see www.cantonmercy.com.