Bay Area doctors donate time for uninsured

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Some generous Bay Area doctors are coming to the rescue for patients who need care, but don't have health insurance. They're part of group that often falls through the cracks of the Affordable Care Act.

Salomon Zepeda has been in almost constant pain for more than a year, ever since he injured his knee at work trying to keep a mattress from falling off his moving van.

"So I jumped off the ramp grabbed the mattress and when I landed on my knee it bent in," Zepeda said.

An MRI revealed a torn meniscus. It's a common injury that surgeons repair routinely for patients with health insurance or even Medi-Cal. But Salomon doesn't have access to either in his county.

"Because I don't have a social security number yet," says Zepeda.

"One of the reasons why many people have been left behind by health care reform is because they're undocumented," explains Ali Balick of Operation Access.

The Bay Area nonprofit helps pair low-income and undocumented families with health care resources. In this case, the resource was the generosity of surgeons at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco.

Dr. Robert Mayle is one of dozens of physicians at CPMC who donate their services to operation access.

"I love the idea of helping somebody. That's why I got into orthopedics, " Mayle said.

CPMC also provides the operating room and support staff free of charge. Over the course of about an hour, Mayle works to clear away damage from the tear in Salomon's knee.

"Trimming the meniscus back is great because nothing else needs to heal after that," he said.

The Operation Access program works through community clinics around the Bay Area and helped provide access to care for an estimated 1,400 patients last year alone.

"Our program is meant to serve the working poor. Being able to work is what separates you from being off the streets," says Balick.

"It feels great, it's one of the best feelings," Mayle said.

Salomon went for a checkup a few weeks after his surgery.

"I can walk. You know it's going to take a few more weeks" he said.

Now, coverage in the Bay Area can vary dramatically between county to county. Experts advise patients who don't qualify for insurance to visit a community care clinic first. Doctors there can then offer referrals to programs like Operation Access.

Written and produced by Tim Didion