(PRESS RELEASE) SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Pacific Vision Foundation has announced the opening of the new Pacific Vision Surgery Center.
“This state-of-the-art surgical facility is the manifestation of Pacific Vision Foundation’s mission to make excellent eye care available for all, regardless of ability to pay, while training the next generation of ophthalmology professionals,” the foundation stated.
The Surgery Center will offer the same advanced technology, safety, comfort and high level of surgical care to low-income patients and insured patients alike. Since 1977, Pacific Vision Foundation (PVF) has been a trusted not-for-profit organization committed to excellent eye care.
Guided by a visionary board of directors and community need, PVF established the Pacific Vision Eye Institute more than ten years ago. The Eye Institute, located in the heart of San Francisco, is home to the CPMC Department of Ophthalmology Residency and Fellowship Programs, clinical faculty offices, the Lions Eye Clinic, the CPMC Ophthalmic Diagnostic Center, the Frank Stein & Paul S. May Center for Low Vision Rehabilitation and the new Pacific Vision Surgery Center. These components work together to embrace PVF’s mission and are forging The Eye Institute to become the Bay Area’s leading full-service facility, offering patients care for all their eye-related concerns under one roof.
With the opening of the Surgery Center comes the launching of the Patient Assistance Fund. Contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations into the Fund will make it possible to provide uninsured patients these vision-restoring surgeries, and the same level of care provided to insured, private-pay patients.
“We are thrilled to add a Surgery Center to what we already offer our community members,” said Ellen Jamason, CEO, Pacific Vision Foundation and Administrator of the Surgery Center. “We have found that ambulatory surgical centers can improve the patient experience and recovery time.”
Patients seen in an ambulatory setting, compared to a hospital environment, typically experience reduced stress, increased efficiency, and convenience.
“This surgery center meets a longstanding need in San Francisco, where community clinics have up to a yearlong waiting list” said Laura Coleman, RN, BSN, clinical director of Nursing. “With the best technologies available today, we are the newest ophthalmology surgery center in the Bay Area. As a result, our patients will be able to enjoy lower wait times and faster recovery, regardless of their financial background.”