Collaboration, cooperation, and coordination are hallmarks of our work providing donated specialty health care to people in need. We rely on collaboration and cooperation among hospitals, clinics, surgery centers, interpreters, our patients, and volunteers. And we rely on the generosity of our donors to keep these wheels turning.

Maria benefited from these core pillars of our program at Sutter Health’s Palo Alto Medical Foundation. She had been experiencing sharp pain near her kidneys but continued her job at a local school district. Maria occasionally took over-the-counter medicine in an effort to alleviate the pain, but, eventually, the chronic pain became so unbearable that she visited a local ER twice in one week to get help.

Doctors at the ER prescribed medicine to help with the pain, but they were not able to provide treatment for Maria’s underlying health issues, which included fibroids in her uterus and a hernia. Uninsured and unsure where to turn for help, Maria visited Samaritan House Free Clinic in San Mateo. There, her primary care physician (PCP) told her about the medical volunteers in our program who donate care to people facing similar predicaments.

Maria’s PCP at Samaritan House referred her to our program, and we matched her with Dr. Jessica Wong, a gynecologist at Palo Alto Medical Foundation in San Carlos. Dr. Wong prioritized scheduling her for surgery due to the severity of Maria’s pain and her compounding health issues. Dr. Wong also determined that the best course of treatment was a collaborative surgery, in which both the myomectomy procedure (to remove the fibroids) and the hernia repair would occur simultaneously. Dr. Wong worked tirelessly to find a general surgeon to perform the hernia repair while she performed the myomectomy. She found, and managed to coordinate schedules with, Dr. Eric Kubat, a general surgeon at Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Burlingame. Dr. Kubat traveled to San Carlos Surgery Center to provide the hernia repair alongside Dr. Wong and her team.

Cooperation and coordination between two medical professionals and their teams resulted in positive health outcomes for Maria. Now fully recovered, Maria is happy and living without pain. Her loved ones have noticed a positive change and feel like they have gotten the real Maria back. About the care from Drs. Wong and Kubat, Maria said, “Thank you so much for donating these procedures, I do not know what I would have done due to my inability to qualify for medical insurance. I am so grateful!”

As we introduce our model of care coordination throughout Northern California, we are collaborating with a growing network of medical providers to provide much-needed services to uninsured people in our communities. In 2021, we expanded our reach, serving people who live in 17 Northern California counties and referrals to our program increased by 44%. We are working with key stakeholders to establish new partnerships within our expansion counties where donated care will be provided through a network of local medical teams. In May 2022, California expanded state-funded Medi-Cal to include income-eligible undocumented people age 50 years and older. This expansion is a victory for health equity in the state, where millions have lacked access to affordable coverage because of their immigration status. With this Medi-Cal expansion we project a reduction in eligible referrals of approximately 30%, but nevertheless expect strong demand for our services within our expanded service area as many of our patients will continue to earn too much to qualify for Medi-Cal.

If you or someone you know can help by providing services or connecting us with providers, please reach out.