The Surgery Center of Pinehurst is one of three sites in the nation selected to participate tomorrow in the inaugural National Day of Surgery.

The pilot program was developed to provide needed surgical services to the uninsured.

“We’re testing the concept this year, writing a manual and rolling it out nationally next year,” said Patrick Brennan, president of domestic operations for One5 Foundation, a Leawood, Kan.-based nonprofit that provides access to health care in underserved communities worldwide.

The other pilot sites are surgery centers in Hastings, Neb., and Elko, Nev.

“We hope to be in 46 locations next year,” Brennan said. “It’s such a cool thing, because maybe by 2014 it will be an International Day of Surgery.”

Brennan said the Surgery Center of Pinehurst was selected for the pilot program because “it’s one of the premier facilities” within Nueterra, a global health care provider also based in Leawood.

“Our senior leadership also identified the facility as having a spirit of giving back to the community,” he said.

The local free surgeries will be performed by Dr. Glen Subin, of Mid-South Orthopedic in Pinehurst, and Dr. Glenn Dunlap, of Pinehurst Foot Specialists.

“This is the first time we’ve done it,” Subin said, “but it’s probably something we’ll do on an annual basis. There are a lot of people who need surgery who can’t afford it.”

Subin selected a female patient who needs a lesion removed from a finger.

“She has no insurance and two little kids, so I thought she would be a good candidate,” he said. “It’s that time of year where it’s important to realize what we have and give back to people who are not so well off.”

Subin, who chairs the surgery center board, said the pilot program came up because Nueterra manages the center.

“Giving back to the community is something the board has been talking about for quite some time,” he said. “We wanted to do it last year, but logistically it didn’t work out.”

Dunlap selected two patients from the Moore Free Care Clinic, where he has been volunteering on his day off for the past two years.

“I have been keeping track of people who needed free surgery, and these two individuals have been seeing me over time,” he said.

Dunlap said one individual will have a hammertoe repaired, while the other will have a bone in the ball of his foot shortened.

“I’m doing these surgeries because I think it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “I’ve been blessed by the community and am glad to be able to give back.”

Contact Ted M. Natt Jr. at (910) 693-2474 or tnatt@thepilot.com.