San Diego Nonprofit Fresh Start Surgical Gifts to Host Free Public Screening Clinic

A Fresh Start Screening Clinic patient is examined by a doctor. Courtesy photo

SAN DIEGO–Fresh Start Surgical Gifts, a San Diego-based nonprofit organization, will host its 2016 Fresh Start Screening Clinic for patients this week in San Diego.

During the Fresh Start Screening Clinic, members of the medical program will screen local patients who can benefit from free-of-cost reconstructive surgery.

Families can apply in-person during the clinic to receive free-of-cost reconstructive surgeries and other related healthcare services for children with physical deformities caused by birth defects, accidents, abuse or disease. San Diego families who qualify for Fresh Start’s services can be treated with little to no wait list time.

Eligible children can receive services at the clinic and Rady Children’s Hospital during the newly announced surgery weekend dates:

March 5-6,
April 30-May 1
July 16-17
Sept. 10-11
Nov. 5-6

“Our goal is to increase our San Diego patient base for which we have little no wait list time, and accept more international as well as national cases,” said Fresh Start Patient Services Manager Lupita Morales. “We want our San Diego community to know that Fresh Start is here and readily available to provide free reconstructive surgery and other related medical services.”

Fresh Start covers transportation costs to assist patients to and from their appointments as well as the cost of lodging and food during the Surgery Weekends. Fresh Start’s overhead is covered by the Fresh Start Surgical Gifts Foundation, which allows 100 percent of every donation to fund the medical program. Since Fresh Start’s inception in 1991, over 6,500 children have received no-cost medical care valued at over $26,000,000, and Fresh Start’s volunteer base has grown to over 500.

The Fresh Start Screening Clinic is set for January 30 at the Fresh Start Clinic (at Rady Children’s Hospital) located at 7920 Frost Street in San Diego from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

For more information on the Fresh Start Screening Clinic, call (760) 448-2025, or email Lupita@freshstart.org.