Equipping a Pioneer: MedCycle Network Partners with Lestonnac Free Clinic
A Pioneer in Free Healthcare — For Over Four Decades
Lestonnac Free Clinic has been providing free medical, dental, and vision services to uninsured and low-income communities across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, entirely through the generosity of donors and volunteers. Founded in 1979, the clinic now serves patients through 14 satellite locations with a team of more than 300 doctors who volunteer their time.
A Historic Milestone in Health Equity
In May 2025, the first free surgical center in the U.S. was opened by Lestonnac Free Clinic, a 4,000-square-foot facility featuring two fully equipped operating rooms where volunteer surgeons perform potentially life-saving procedures, including hernia repairs, cataract surgeries, and colonoscopies, all at no cost to patients.
The clinic expects to provide about 700 free surgeries in the new center's first year, with a waiting list of patients already counting on them. "There is a growing number of people who need surgery but they don't have the resources or access," said Dr. Theresa Chin, Lestonnac's Surgical Director.
Meeting a Need — Right from the Needs List
When we connected with the Lestonnac Free Clinic team and reviewed their needs list, one item stood out immediately: an S-SCORT III suction pump, a critical piece of emergency medical equipment used to clear airways and ensure patient safety during critical procedures.
We had one. They needed one. That's exactly how this model is supposed to work.
The S-SCORT III is no ordinary piece of equipment. In a surgical setting, having the right emergency equipment isn't optional. It's the difference between a team that can act and a team that has to wait.
Surplus Becomes Essential — Every Time
This is the story we tell again and again at MedCycle Network, because it keeps proving itself true: what sits unused in one facility becomes genuinely essential somewhere else. The S-SCORT III that arrived at Lestonnac didn't just fill a line on a needs list, it strengthened the capacity of the nation's first free surgical center to do its extraordinary work.
There isn’t a nearby county hospital, Lestonnac Executive Director Ed Gerber has noted, meaning the clinic isn't just a supplement to the local healthcare system. For thousands of uninsured patients across four counties, it is the system. Every piece of equipment MedCycle Network delivers helps that system hold.
A Long-Term Partnership, Just Getting Started
This donation marks the beginning of our relationship with Lestonnac, not the end of it. We are committed to continuing to review their needs list and matching it against the surplus supplies in our network, medical supplies, durable medical equipment, and biomedical equipment, to do what we can to keep this remarkable clinic fully equipped to serve its patients.
At MedCycle Network, we believe healthcare is a fundamental human right. Lestonnac Free Clinic has believed that since 1979. Together, we're making it real, one delivery, one device, one patient at a time.
Join the Movement
Whether you're a hospital with surplus supplies, a clinic in need, or a donor ready to make a difference, your support helps us transform medical surplus into health access so more people receive care.
Donate or partner with MedCycle Network today. Together, we're delivering hope, one clinic, one device, one community at a time.