The Lestonnac Free Clinic model is built on the shoulders of doctors and nurses who volunteer their time to meet the basic medical needs of low-income and uninsured individuals across Southern California.
Now the volunteers will be able to add free basic surgeries to the care they are able to give those in need.
In June, the clinic will open the nation’s first dedicated free surgery center at its location in Orange, Lestonnac officials said.
“This will absolutely save lives,” Executive Director Ed Gerber said. “There’s not a doubt in my mind about that.”
The new 4,000-square-foot facility in Orange includes two operating rooms equipped for colonoscopies, endoscopies, cataract surgery and other minor surgeries.
Gerber said the facility will be able to accommodate about 30 surgeries a month once running at full capacity.
County leaders celebrated the surgery center’s ribbon-cutting on Thursday.
“We know the need is so high,” said Orange County Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento. “This is incredible, what you’ll be able to provide.”
Since 1979, the Lestonnac Free Clinic has offered primary medical, dental and vision care at no cost to those in need. In 2024, 300 volunteer doctors working with the clinic provided comprehensive care to more than 12,000 patients.
Gerber and the doctors he works with fundraised to open the surgery center as they grew frustrated with their inability to help thousands of patients who needed basic operations, but could not afford them.
The Thompson Family Foundation answered their call with a $4 million donation, which, along with other donations, was enough to build the surgery center and keep it operating for at least five years.
“We saw people who needed minor surgeries, but they couldn’t get them done,” Gerber said. “In our society, in our community, that’s unacceptable.”
Nephtali Gomez, a general surgeon, has committed to driving from Loma Linda, where he works at the university’s medical center and the Veterans Affairs medical center, to Orange to perform multiple pro bono hernia surgeries per month.
“Why wouldn’t I?” he said. “The gratitude of the patients makes it worth it.”
“Clinics wanting to do something like this is common,” Gomez said. “What’s not common, and what Lestonnac has pulled off, is building a place that has the infrastructure for safe surgery.”
Nicky Washida, who worked as a patient care assistant at Hoag Hospital in Irvine, plans to volunteer to support surgeries at the Lestonnac clinic, as well.
“I can do this, so I should do this,” she said. “There’s such a need, and this population is the most polite and most grateful for the help.”
Related Articles
Lilly star weight-loss drug Zepbound faces coverage challenge from CVS Health Trump’s health agency urges therapy for transgender youth, not broader gender-affirming health care Rehab Riviera: Heart-rending testimony pushes reform bills forward Even in California, access to death-with-dignity drugs can be refused Supreme Court appears likely to uphold Obamacare’s preventive care coverage mandateHence then, the article about free surgery clinic in orange is first in the nation was published today ( ) and is available on The Orange County Register ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Free surgery clinic in Orange is first in the nation )
Also on site :
- What to Know About Allegations of Excessive Drinking by FBI Director Kash Patel
- After his career was declared ‘dead in the water’, Jordan Walsh gets a playoff opportunity for revival
- Putin finally admits Russia’s economy is in trouble and grasps for answers, after warnings about a financial crisis have been piling up