Uninsured patients receive free surgery in Baldwin Park as part of annual program

BALDWIN PARK, Calif. (KABC) -- Dozens of uninsured patients received free procedures as part of Kaiser Permanente Baldwin Park's Community Surgery Day.

Doctors operated on nearly 30 patients Saturday. They were identified as people in need by East Valley Community Health Center, which partners with Kaiser Permanente for the annual event.

Many of the patients had been waiting years to get the surgeries through the county system. Most procedures were elective but necessary, like hernia repair or gallbladder removal. Patients were able to go home within a few hours.

This is the program's 10th year. To date, more than 300 free surgeries and colonoscopies have been performed on uninsured patients through the program.