Scalpel At The Cross

What Scalpel At The Cross does

Scalpel At The Cross is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Christian medical mission organization founded in 2004 by Dr. Peter Cole and Nancy Cole. It delivers orthopedic surgical care to underserved populations in Pucallpa, in the Peruvian Amazon, through short-term surgical campaigns conducted three to four times per year, each running approximately ten days. Over a 20-plus-year operating history the organization reports 731 surgical patients treated, 527 non-surgical patients seen, 589 volunteer team members mobilized, and roughly $11.3 million in healthcare value delivered. The operating model is built around volunteer clinicians and mission-trip participants traveling from the United States to a fixed in-country partner facility rather than a continuous clinical operation.

The organization's service portfolio includes direct medical and surgical care, the Miracle Workers recurring donor program, mission travel coordination, medical education and training for local providers, and the planned Miracle Campus facility expansion, supported by sub-brands such as Miracle Workers and Jungle Bunks. It maintains operational partnerships with Hospital Amazonico, FAIENAP (the local nursing school), South America Mission, SAMAIR, Hand Across, Matter, and Pucallpa Medical University for in-country execution, alongside US-side partnerships with Covenant Presbyterian Church, Stewardship Planning Partners, Charles Schwab, and Regions Hospital for fundraising and infrastructure support. The Miami, FL headquarters (PO Box 558436; EIN 20-1175847) houses a small leadership team including co-founder Peter A. Cole, Mission Director Kara Rodriguez, Medical Coordinator Isaac Mendoza, Director of Annual Giving Kim Gustafson, and Communications Coordinator Esteban Cardona.

Scalpel At The Cross funds its mission through a diversified non-profit revenue mix that includes individual recurring and one-time donations, church partnerships, stock gifts, IRA qualified charitable distributions, asset-based giving, and planned giving vehicles such as bequests and charitable trusts. The model has no fee-for-service revenue, no product sales, and no equity-financing rounds; capital is sourced entirely from charitable contributions and in-kind volunteer labor. Distribution is exclusively in-person in Peru; the US organization functions as a fundraising, volunteer-coordination, and back-office hub rather than a clinical operator.

Name

Scalpel At The Cross

Legal name

Scalpel At The Cross, Inc.

Website

https://scalpelatthecross.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Scalpel At The Cross is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Christian medical mission that delivers orthopedic surgical care to underserved populations in the Peruvian Amazon through short-term volunteer surgical campaigns, funded by US-based charitable giving and in-kind volunteer labor.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Orthopedic Surgical Services

NAICS

Offices of Physicians (62111)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011)

akta.pro primary industry

Cross-Border Telemedicine, Second Opinion & Care Navigation Facilitators (THAKAIAM)

Keywords

• Orthopedic surgical missions
• Medical mission services
• Humanitarian healthcare
• Faith-based ministry
• Volunteer medical campaigns

Headquarters

HQ city

Miami

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring charitable donations from individuals supporting the mission. Miracle Workers program offers $25+ per month recurring gifts with automated withdrawal from credit card or bank account.
2. Church Partnerships: Financial support from churches that provide mission funding, send team members, and raise prayer support
3. Stock Donations: Gifting stock or mutual funds to Scalpel At The Cross via Charles Schwab account, allowing donors to avoid capital gains while receiving charitable deduction
4. IRA Charitable Distributions: Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from Traditional IRAs for donors age 70½, avoiding inclusion in adjusted gross income up to $100,000 annually
5. Asset-Based Giving: Partnership with Stewardship Planning Partners to facilitate donations of non-liquid assets including real estate, business interests, and other appreciated assets
6. Planned Giving/Legacy Donations: IRA beneficiary designations and other estate planning vehicles allowing donors to include Scalpel in their legacy giving

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Scalpel At The Cross delivers free orthopedic surgical and medical care to underserved patients in Pucallpa, Peru, through 10-day volunteer medical campaigns conducted 3-4 times per year at Hospital Amazonico. The organization supplements direct patient care with medical education and training programs for Peruvian healthcare professionals, recurring donor funding (Miracle Workers), and the Miracle Campus expansion project to establish a more permanent medical presence in the Peruvian Amazon.

Product overview

Scalpel At The Cross is a single-service Christian medical mission organization offering orthopaedic surgical and medical care to the Pucallpa, Peru community. The core offering is medical/surgical care services provided during periodic campaign trips (3-4 times per year), supplemented by the Miracle Workers monthly donor program, mission travel/volunteer programs, and the developing Miracle Campus facility. Additional offerings include medical education/training programs for local Peruvian medical professionals, the Scalpel's Edge newsletter for supporter engagement, and annual Gala events for fundraising and community building. The organization does not operate a technology platform or software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Miracle Workers: Monthly recurring donor program where donors give $25 or more per month to support the mission's ongoing work in the Peruvian Amazon.
• Miracle Campus
• Jungle Bunks

Products and services

• Orthopedic Surgical Care Services Free orthopedic surgical and medical care provided to patients in Pucallpa, Peru, including surgical treatment of musculoskeletal trauma, reconstructive surgery, congenital limb defects, and pediatric orthopedic procedures, plus non-surgical treatment programs serving the Peruvian Amazon community. Services are delivered through 10-day surgical campaigns conducted 3-4 times per year at Hospital Amazonico.
• Mission Travel (Surgical Campaign Trips) 10-day medical campaign trips to Pucallpa, Peru where volunteer team members (surgeons, nurses, CRNAs, anesthesiologists, physician assistants, scrub techs, and non-medical professionals) participate in serving patients at Hospital Amazonico. Trips run 3-4 times per year and include fundraising requirements and pre-trip preparation.
• Miracle Campus Expansion project to establish a more consistent medical mission presence in the Peruvian Amazon, providing ongoing surgical care, rehabilitation, and Gospel ministry beyond periodic campaign trips. The Miracle Campus represents the organization's transition toward a more permanent facility model.
• Medical Education and Training Program Educational programs for local Peruvian doctors, medical personnel, and medical students including trauma conferences hosted at Pucallpa Medical University, fellowships (e.g., Luzmila Cahua's one-month fellowship at Regions Hospital in Minnesota), and the Peruvian Orthopaedic Surgeons Fund which sponsors training in the US.

Quantifiable outcome

• 731 patients received surgical treatment over 20 years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• FAIENAP (Fraternity of Association of the Evangelical Church of the Peruvian Amazon)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFAIENAP's mission is to unite native tribes spread across the Amazon and spread the love of God while teaching them the way of Jesus. They translate the Bible into Quechua, Shawi, and Shipibo dialects. During COVID-19, Scalpel provided food and medicine to Francisco and Marcos who were stranded at FAIENAP during the national lockdown.
• South America Mission (SAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCraig and Heather Gahagen serve as SAM missionaries in Pucallpa. SAM provides support for missionary housing and a Christian camp. They have been partners with Scalpel for years, with Vann Brock receiving orthopedic surgery from Dr. Peter Cole after a motorcycle accident.
• Vann & Vanessa BrockcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMissionaries who have lived in Pucallpa for 16 years. They provide missionary housing and support base, and are building the first-ever Christian camp for local churches in the region. They help tribal missionaries with technical support including solar power, latrines, water collection, and satellite internet.
• Hospital AmazonicocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment hospital in Pucallpa where Scalpel conducts surgical missions. The hospital works with Scalpel to provide orthopedic surgical care to patients and serves as the base for medical training and education programs.
• Hand AcrosssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroup dedicated to providing aid to the local medical community in Peru. Works in coordination with Matter (a Minnesotan non-profit) to send medical supply shipments to hospitals serving the Pucallpa community.
• Matter (Non-profit organization)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMinnesotan non-profit organization coordinating with Hand Across to provide medical supply shipments to Peruvian hospitals.
• Covenant Presbyterian ChurchsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of the first churches to embrace Scalpel's ministry vision. They provide monthly mission funding, send team members, request regular prayer updates, and have dispatched church members to serve in Peru. Pastor Eric Irwin has been a long-time supporter.
• Pucallpa Medical UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost of Scalpel-sponsored trauma conferences including lectures by four Scalpel orthopedic surgeons. Site for medical education and training of local medical students and professionals.
• SAMAIRsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSouth America Mission airline and support organization serving missionaries in the region. Craig and Heather Gahagen serve as SAMAIR missionaries.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ReSurge International: Reconstructive surgery nonprofit providing surgical care and training in developing countries. Comparable volunteer-medical-professional-driven model targeting musculoskeletal/reconstructive needs in low-resource settings.
• Operation Rainbow: Nonprofit providing free orthopedic surgery to children in developing countries. Direct comparable in orthopedic specialty focus and volunteer surgical mission delivery model.
• CURE International: Faith-based nonprofit operating pediatric orthopedic and surgical hospitals in developing countries. Closest comparable: similar faith-driven surgical mission model focused on musculoskeletal conditions in low-resource settings.
• Faith In Practice: Faith-based medical mission sending surgical teams to Guatemala. Closely comparable faith-driven short-term surgical mission model serving Latin American underserved populations.
• Esperança: Faith-based medical mission organization providing surgical and medical services in Latin America. Comparable in faith-driven surgical delivery model targeting underserved Latin American communities.
• Mercy Ships: Faith-based organization delivering free surgical care via hospital ships in developing nations. Comparable episodic, volunteer-driven surgical mission delivery model serving orthopedic and reconstructive needs in underserved regions.
• Health Volunteers Overseas: Nonprofit that sends US medical professionals to teach in developing countries. Comparable in volunteer orthopedic-surgeon deployment and local provider training focus, though with a teaching rather than direct-service emphasis.
• SIGN Fracture Care International: Nonprofit that designs and distributes orthopedic trauma implants paired with surgeon training in developing countries. Direct comparable in orthopedic surgery focus and local capacity-building approach.

Broad incumbents

• Partners in Health: Large global health nonprofit providing healthcare in underserved regions with a focus on capacity building. Comparable mission-driven delivery to low-resource settings but operates at a much larger scale and broader scope than Scalpel.

Emerging players

• Smile Train: Nonprofit addressing cleft lip/palate in developing countries through local-surgeon training and partner-clinic model. Adjacent comparable: similar mission of building local surgical capacity rather than delivering all care directly, though focused on a different specialty.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ScalpelAtTheCross
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scalpelatthecross
• Instagraminstagram.com/scalpelatthecross

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scalpel At The Cross