East Stroudsburg - Pocono Health System (PHS) along with Pocono Medical Center Medical Staff members Charles K. Herman, MD, and Anthony Nostro, MD, have partnered with the non-profit organization Iraq Star to provide plastic and reconstructive surgeries for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

As part of the collaboration, Dr. Herman, Medical Director of Plastic and Reconstructive surgery at PMC, will perform plastic and reconstructive surgeries for war veterans who are referred by Iraq Star (medical costs will be absorbed by the patients’ insurance companies, the Iraq Star Foundation, Pocono Health System and/or North American Partners in Anesthesia). PHS has volunteered Dr. Herman ‘s services for soldiers who are under or uninsured.  While some services, such as minor skin grafts and chemical injections, will be provided by PMC Physician Associates: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, more extensive surgeries will be performed at Pocono Medical Center. Dr. Nostro, chief of Anesthesia at PMC, has volunteered to provide the necessary anesthesia services for the surgeries performed at PMC.

For soldiers who must travel to the area for their procedure(s), Pocono Health Foundation, an affiliate of Pocono Medical Center, has also agreed to provide transportation at no cost to the soldier and their families.  Accommodations for the soldiers and their families will be covered by Iraq Star.

Iraq Star estimates that over 24,000 American soldiers have returned from the Iraq war with injuries ranging anywhere from mild scarring to severe disfigurements. It was this influx of wounded soldiers that prompted Maggie Lockridge, RN of Rancho Mirage, California, to establish Iraq Star.  Iraq Star has strict criteria for selection of their affiliated surgeons, working only with Board-Certified Plastic Surgeons and Anesthesiologists, such as Dr. Herman and Dr. Nostro, respectively.

If you or someone you know could be a candidate for the plastic and reconstructive services provided by Iraq Star, call 760-568-4039 or e-mail IraqStarInfo@aol.com. To learn more about Iraq Star, visit www.iraqstar.org.