The idea for the OCEP program came about in 2019 when it was conveyed that there are a significant number of patients in Orange County who do not have insurance, or are underinsured.
Considering there is no county hospital in Orange County that could provide free/subsidized eye care to the underserved, an idea for a free eye clinic came about. We discussed locations for starting the free eye clinic.
And Covid happened!
We finally began with the first OCEP Free Eye Clinic in June 2021 within the premises of Lestonnac Free Clinic.
The program has been voluntary all along, with eye care providers providing their time and expertise to evaluate and manage the patients we see in the clinic.
We also have volunteers, including fellows, residents, med and optometry students, undergrad and high school students, who have been volunteering in the clinic since the beginning.
In time, we have formalized collaborations with Vanguard Nursing and Concordia Nursing schools, which allows their nursing students to attend the eye clinics regularly and provide their help, while also shadowing the providers to observe eye care.
Since the start, we have seen about 4000 patients and treated more than 2000 patients.
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