The first free surgical center in the U.S. has opened in Orange County.
The Lestonnac Free Clinic’s new surgery center will rely on a network of surgeons donating their time to perform low-risk vital procedures for patients who cannot afford care.
Those procedures include hernia repairs to allow patients to get back to work, cataract surgeries to restore sight and colonoscopies to screen for cancer.
First free surgery center in the US opens in Orange County
The clinic has been providing free basic health, dental and vision care to thousands from its office in Orange for decades. The new 4,000-square-foot Lestonnac Surgery Center celebrated its grand opening Thursday and expects to start performing its first free surgeries in mid-June.
“The dream of this surgery center came up years ago because too many patients were underinsured or uninsured,” said Ed Gerber, the clinic’s executive director.
Supporters say this kind of care is even more necessary as California faces a $6.2 billion Medicaid funding gap, and the future is uncertain for 15 million residents who rely on the program.
Lestonnac doesn’t bill insurance companies or receive federal or state funds, instead relying on private donors. The Thompson Family Foundation donated $4 million to open the new surgical wing.
The clinic expects to provide about 700 free surgeries in the new center’s first year.
Free surgery?
The nonprofit Lestonnac Free Clinic has been offering patients limited free surgeries since 2019. The clinic’s volunteer surgeons currently perform about 13 operations at partner hospitals each month, Gerber said.
In the new surgery…
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