St. Mary’s Medical Center Hosts Medical Mission for Hiroshima and Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Survivors

80 survivors and their children received free medical exams as part of the biennial event.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA. (July 17, 2017) –Dignity Health St. Mary’s Medical Center recently hosted a team of physicians who conducted medical examinations of Japanese and Korean Americans survivors of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. 

During the course of the July 14-16 weekend, 80 survivors, including their children, received free comprehensive medical examinations and follow-up evaluations.  

“St. Mary’s is honored to be the San Francisco host site for this important mission,” said Sr. Mary Kilgariff, liaison for Community Health and Senior Services at St. Mary’s Medical Center. “We are dedicated to responding to the needs of our community and these biennial Japanese medical visits have proven to be comforting and educational for the survivors and their descendants.”

Since 1977, the Hiroshima Medical Prefectural Association (HMPA) has sponsored official biennial medical missions for the benefit of American survivors living in the United States who face continuing medical problems due to their exposure to radiation in the 1945 bombings.

“Through this mission, we provide survivors in North America access to doctors who specialize in the effects of radiation and who can explain the survivors’ medical conditions in their own language, especially Hiroshima and Nagasaki dialects,” said John Umekubo, MD, St. Mary’s Medical Center supervising physician. “These examinations provide an opportunity for us to promote good health and help relieve the survivors’ concerns of the after effects of the Hiroshima/Nagasaki A-bomb.”

The Hiroshima Medical Prefectural Association is an independent organization composed of medical professionals and institutions in Hiroshima Prefecture, and conducts these examinations in four cities—Honolulu, Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Francisco. The mission is supported by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the Radiation Effects Research Foundation, Hiroshima Prefecture and City offices and local medical organizations and representatives from the prefecture and city of Nagasaki.

The health examinations cover internal diseases, surgical consultations and physical examinations. Included in the examinations are general hematology tests, urinalysis, chest x-rays, biochemical testing such as liver function tests, diabetes screening, thyroid gland function testing, serum cholesterol, as well as screenings for colorectal cancer, liver cancer, multiple myeloma, breast cancer, and uterine cancer. 

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About Dignity Health St. Mary’s Medical Center 
Dignity Health St. Mary's Medical Center is an accredited, not-for-profit community hospital that has been caring for the people of San Francisco since 1857. Located across from Golden Gate Park, it is the longest continually running hospital in San Francisco. St. Mary’s has been named a 2014 Top Performer in Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission for excellence in patient outcomes. For three consecutive years, from 2014 to 2016, St. Mary’s received the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence from Healthgrades.

St. Mary’s also was recognized as one of the Top 100 Orthopedic Programs nationally by Becker’s Hospital Review and is a Certified Stroke Center by the Joint Commission. St. Mary’s state-of-the-art Cancer Center offers the full-range of oncology, radiation, and imaging services. Offering the most comprehensive breast imaging services in San Francisco, St. Mary’s has been designated as a Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology, a recognition that represents the national gold standard. Beyond clinical care, St. Mary's is committed to furthering the healing ministry, and to providing high-quality, affordable healthcare to the community we serve. For more information, call (415) 668-1000.