Press Release

Foundation Helps San Francisco Group Provide Surgeries for the Uninsured

Contact: Daniel Pryfogle
919.460.7069

San Francisco, Calif, Jan. 4, 2008 — Surgical procedures are typically out of reach for the Bay Area’s uninsured residents. But Operation Access is bridging the gap through volunteer medical professionals and philanthropic contributions like the recent $20,000 grant from San Francisco-based Vesper Society.

Operation Access, a San Francisco nonprofit, taps a network of more than 500 medical volunteers, 20 hospitals and 60 community clinics to provide the uninsured with donated outpatient surgeries and procedures.

The $20,000 grant from Vesper Society will be used to help pay for a dedicated staff person to screen the many uninsured people referred to Operation Access.

“The demand is great and the need for our services is increasing each year,” said Benjamin Aune, president and CEO of Operation Access. “The Vesper Society grant will make a big difference and direct impact since the more people screened will result in more uninsured people receiving the surgical services and procedures they need to improve their health, ability to work and quality of life.”

Vesper Society’s contribution is one of the many ways the private foundation seeks to address the provision of health care for the underserved in California and around the world.

“For us, health care access is an issue of social justice,” said Mary Baich, the foundation’s president and CEO. “We believe that committed individuals and groups can make a profound impact in addressing health disparities. So we are grateful for Operation Access and proud to give our support to this critically important effort.”

About Vesper Society:

Founded in 1965, Vesper Society is a faith-based private operating foundation that envisions a compassionate world which protects human dignity and enhances human potential. The Society’s mission is to promote social justice locally and globally by addressing critical social issues, including the provision of health services for the underserved. To learn more about Vesper Society, go to www.vesper.org.

To learn more about Operation Access, go to www.operationaccess.org