ACPS Gives Back

By Sherri Roberts
In the spirit of the holiday season, surgeons and staff at The Aesthetic Center for Plastic Surgery (ACPS) are partnering with patients to support the charitable work of those who spread peace on earth and goodwill toward men all year long.
In December, a group of ACPS staff traveled to Roatan, Honduras to assist with the island’s annual Christmas food outreach, preparing and distributing bags of food to individuals and families in need. In addition, the team brought $2000 worth of medications and other medical supplies to Roatan’s Clinical Esperanza, which provides low cost/no cost medical care to the people of Roatan, many of whom would not seek treatment due to costs and the crowded condition of the local hospital.
The Roatan mission represents just one of the global outreach projects spearheaded by Renee Arriaga, family nurse practitioner for ACPS surgeon Dr. Henry Mentz. A portion of patients’ fees for nonsurgical aesthetic treatments with Arriaga—$25 per treatment–are set aside for charitable missions the nurse leads on behalf of the Mentz Foundation, a non-profit entity that Dr. Mentz established for this purpose.
This year, part of the money was also donated to the Boys and Girls Harbor in La Porte, Texas, a non-profit organization that provides care for children and families in crisis. For children who are experiencing family hardship, neglect, abandonment or abuse, the Harbor provides shelter in a family environment designed to nurture and help them cultivate healthy life skills and habits.
Arriaga commented, “Patients are so glad to know that, not only are the treatments they receive benefitting them individually, but are also helping others, as well. Many express the desire to volunteer for Mentz Foundation projects, so it’s meaningful for them to be able to contribute to the outreach in this way.”
Heidi Fell, RN, aesthetic nurse specialist for ACPS surgeon Dr. Chris Patronella, experienced a similar outpouring of patient generosity when she invited patients to dontate toys to Dr. Patronella’s Toys for Tots campaign in December in exchange for 10 percent off a nonsurgical treatment with her.
Fell noted, “Our patients have been so excited about the toy drive. Some bring in a toy even if they are only here for a consultation and not doing a treatment. They have put a lot of thought in to the gifts they bring in. We are all so blessed, and we come into contact with so many people here, at ACPS—this has been a wonderful way to join with our patients to make someone’s holiday a little brighter.”