Operation Access provides surgery to low income patients

A local rancher will get his medical needs met pro bono thanks
to Operation Access, a nonprofit organization that coordinates
donated outpatient procedures, and a local surgeon willing to
operate for free.
Bodega shepherd Michael Tocci said he is “tickled beyond pink”
that Sebastopol’s Dr. Allan Hill has agreed to perform a surgical
procedure on him, free of charge.
“After cancer you can’t get insurance,” said Tocci, a cancer
survivor who can’t afford health insurance and doesn’t qualify for
any of the government funded programs.
“It’s wonderful and very nice for Dr. Hill to do this thing pro
bono. It’s incredible,” said Tocci, who lost his spleen to cancer
in 2000, but has since recovered.
Tocci and Hill will meet this week to discuss a less invasive
surgery to remove a growth that Tocci recently developed on his
lower abdomen.
“It feels good to be able to use what I can do to help people
that wouldn’t be able to get the help otherwise,” Hill said. “This
program (also) guarantees there is a hospital to do that portion of
the care,” Hill said, adding, “I wish Palm Drive Hospital would
participate in the program, but I understand they have some
financial pressure that Sutter and Memorial don’t have.”
Currently Healdsburg Hospital also does not participate in the
OA program, however, a Healdsburg surgeon does.
Dr. Henry Flores, one of Hill’s colleagues, on Tuesday was about
to perform gallbladder surgery on a patient being served through
Operation Access.
“She was diagnosed years ago and is just now getting it taken
care of,” Flores said.
Asked why he participates in the program, he said, “When I was a
child we had healthcare donated where I grew up and now that I am a
physician I want to give back what I received.”
Some 95 Sonoma County physicians, nurses and technicians, in
association with area hospitals volunteer for OA, which has made it
possible for low income, uninsured residents living in Sonoma
County to receive outpatient surgical and specialty procedures. (OA
also provides services in five Bay Area counties.)
So far this year, over 100 Sonoma County patients have been
served through OA. Over 7,500 people in the six counties served
have received needed treatment since 1993.
In order to be considered for the program, prospective patients
must be referred from community clinics. OA works with local
community clinics, including West County Health Centers in the
Russian River area, Sebastopol, and Occidental, and Alliance
Medical Center in Healdsburg and Windsor which call upon OA when
their low-income, uninsured patients need uncomplicated surgical or
specialty procedures or diagnostic tests that they cannot
afford.
The majority of services are general surgery procedures such as
hernias, as well as head and neck, plastics, gastroenterology,
orthopedics, and ophthalmology.
For more information contact Daniel Rabkin, Sonoma County
Program Manager, at [email protected].
Laura McCutcheon can be reached at [email protected].