Orange County is now home to the nation’s first free surgery center dedicated to uninsured and low-income patients. Lestonnac Free Clinic (1215 E. Chapman Ave) held an opening ceremony for its in-house surgery center on May 1, unveiling a 4,000-square-foot facility designed to expand access to critical medical care.
According to an Orange County Register report on May 2, the surgery center will officially begin operations next month. It features two operating rooms and equipment for upper and lower endoscopy procedures, offering free surgeries for non-complex conditions such as cataracts. Lestonnac is the first free clinic in the U.S. to build and operate its own surgical center.
The center is staffed by a volunteer network of more than 300 doctors and nurses from across Orange County and surrounding areas. Edward Gerber, Chief Director of the clinic, said that once fully staffed, the center expects to perform about 30 surgeries per month.
Vicente Sarmiento, Orange County Supervisor, who attended the opening, said, “We know there is significant demand for surgeries. The service that Lestonnac Clinic is providing is truly remarkable.”
Lestonnac Free Clinic has offered primary care, dental, and vision services free of charge to low-income residents since its founding in 1979. In 2023 alone, the clinic served more than 12,000 patients.
Gerber noted that he and his team of doctors launched a fundraising campaign to help thousands of patients unable to afford even simple surgeries. Their efforts were met by the Thompson Family Foundation, which donated over $4 million, allowing construction of the surgery center to begin in June 2023.
Niki Washida, a nurse assistant from Hoag Hospital in Irvine, who attended the ceremony, pledged to volunteer, saying, “The patients at Lestonnac Clinic are some of the most courteous and grateful people I’ve ever met.”
Lestonnac Free Clinic also operates branches in Fullerton (505 E. Commonwealth Ave) and Los Alamitos (3801 Katella Ave, #212) in addition to its main site in Orange.
For more information, visit lestonnacfreeclinic.org or call 714-633-4600.
BY SANGHWAN LIM [lim.sanghwan@koreadaily.com]
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