Caring for 35 years

The Laguna Beach Community Clinic is in its 35th year.

On Feb. 25, more than 100 current and past board members and key

volunteers gathered at Tivoli Too!, on Laguna Canyon Road, to

reminisce and celebrate.

“Founded in 1970 by a group of concerned citizens and volunteer

physicians, the clinic can be proud of its history of service to our

community,” Board President Tim Dillon said. “Over these years,

hundreds of volunteers -- physicians, medical staff and ordinary,

caring individuals have provided quality medical care to many

thousands of needy families in our community.” Former board

presidents Mary Anderson and Gwen Barry, and founding board member,

Sandra Cassarella, chaired the dinner event, calling it Homecoming

2005.

“The toughest part of pulling this all together was the effort to

identify and locate hundreds of individuals who served on our board

or in key positions of responsibility in past years. Over the 35

years many records were not kept up to date, and people have passed

on, or moved on,” said Anderson, board president from 1986-89.

Among those attending were: founding board members, Barry Fisher

and Ron Kaufman, and former board President Robert Mason, who flew in

from Portland, Ore. to be with the group. Laguna’s Dr. Gene Atherton,

now in his 80s, and generally credited for inspiring the concept of a

medical clinic to serve the working poor of South County, was unable

to attend the dinner.

Laguna Beach Mayor, Elizabeth Pearson-Schneider, opened the

program with remarks lauding the clinic’s success. Other speakers

entertaining the group included former board member and clinic

volunteer, Susan Leavy, who provided a humorous commentary, Barry

Fisher, the Clinic’s first president in 1970, Dr. Michael Sparkuhl,

now of Santa Paula, Calif., Carole Zavala and Dr. Korey Jorgensen,

named 2004 California Family Physician of the Year.

“We look forward to serving our community for many more years to

come,” said Ericka Waidley, the clinic’s executive director.

The clinic is a community-based nonprofit organization that serves

the medical needs of the working poor and uninsured populations from

more than 45 communities in Orange County.

In the heart of Laguna Beach, it is one of only two community

clinics in South Orange County to serve a population of nearly

1-million people -- 31 percent of this population has a household

income at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level.

The clinic has served thousands of individuals, families, teens

and children with a broad range of services, including medical

specialties such as cardiology, pre- and post-natal care, well-baby

checkups, pediatrics, neurology, diabetes and HIV programs. Volunteer

physicians and medical staff provide many of these services. In 2004,

more than 17,000 patient visits were logged.

The clinic is at 362 Third St. For more information, call Waidley,

at (949) 494-0761, Ext. 126 or by e-mail at: [email protected],

or on the Internet, www.lbclinic.org.