Dr. Stark from the Orthopaedic Specialists of North County and EZIA Physical Therapy have teamed up to offer pro bono services to a young female athlete in need.

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EZIA + Dr. Stark Give Back
Dr. Stark from the Orthopaedic Specialists of North County and
EZIA Physical Therapy have teamed up to offer pro bono services to a young
female athlete in need. Cody Dantu, a 19-year-old soccer player from Miramar
College, tore her ACL and couldnʼt afford the surgery and therapy needed to get
her back on the field. Project Access San Diego pairs up those in need of medical
care with surgeons and other medical professionals to get them the care they
need. We are excited at the opportunity to help Codi get her the care she needs!
Check back for updates on her progess.

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Physicians Partner at Saturday Surgery
Day to Save Lives
Posted: October 3rd, 2012 | Article taken from San Diego County Medical Society
Foundation
Erik Stark, MD, a physician volunteer for Project Access San Diego and an orthopedic
surgeon with Orthopaedic Specialists of North County, knew he would make a real
difference in the life of a 19-year-old college student when he agreed to volunteer for a
pro bono surgery day at Carlsbad Surgery Center on October 22.
Joining fellow surgeons Adam Fierer, MD and Eileen Natuzzi, MD, both veteran
volunteers for Project Access San Diego, the flagship program of the San Diego County
Medical Society Foundation, Dr. Stark improved the health of low-income, uninsured
community members, including Codi Dantu.
Codi, a Poway resident, is on the Deanʼs list at Miramar College, and a long-time soccer
player. She injured her ACL during a soccer game in May 2011 and has been unable to
participate in many of her normal activities since then. She has lived with considerable
pain for over a year, and was referred to Project Access by Neighborhood Health Care.
“Soccer is my first love,” says Codi. “I am a very athletic person, and not being able to
be active is hurting me mentally as well. This surgery will help be to be able to play

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soccer again, and I can focus more on my studies and worry less on how to pay for
such a costly procedure.”
Health insurance through Miramar does not cover this type of surgery, and Codiʼs family
no longer has health insurance since her fatherʼs business took a major hit in the
recession. Codi expressed her gratitude for PASD setting her up for surgery with such
caring physicians.
September was the third Saturday Surgery Day sponsored by SurgeryOneʼs Carlsbad
Surgery Center, and 11 patientsʼ lives were changed that day. Providing the facility, and
recruiting volunteer physician assistants, nurses, techs and other staff, Carlsbad
Surgery Center CEO Scott Leggett and administrator David Douglass sought to assist
Project Access to improve the health and change the lives of community residents.
“Our physicians came to us after providing volunteer medical care in Third World
countries, and asked why they could not do the same here at home,” said Scott Leggett,
CEO of SurgeryOne, the owner of Carlsbad Surgery Center and three other ambulatory
surgical facilities. “We agreed, and recruited the staffing necessary to support the
physicians, as well as provided the facility and supplies needed. We are committed to
helping improve the health of community residents, and are thrilled to partner with San
Diego County Medical Society Foundation and Project Access.”
Anesthesia Services Medical Group President Mark Ransom, MD, led a team of three
anesthesiologists and techs to assure patient care. This was his second Saturday

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Surgery Day at Carlsbad Surgery Center, although ASMG partners regularly with
Project Access, providing pro bono anesthesia services for surgeries at the hospitals
and outpatient surgery centers that provide care for patients of PASDʼs physician
volunteers.
“Without our physician volunteers, and the generosity of partners like SurgeryOne and
ASMG, we could not provide this kind of care for those in the community that most need
our help,” says San Diego County Medical Society Foundation executive director
Barbara Mandel. “It is a huge team effort with more than 40 volunteers that day. And
Codi will also benefit fromphysical therapy provided by Graybill Medical Center to assure
a full recovery.” More than 625 physician volunteers have assisted over 1,800 patients
to regain their health since Project Accessʼ initiation in December 2008, and over $5,6
million of pro bono care has been contributed by physicians, hospitals and outpatient
surgery centers, and other ancillary health providers. The program was launched
thanks to the efforts of James Hay, MD, current CMA president, and the founding
president of the SDCMS Foundation, based on other models he had studied across the
country. There are currently more than 100 access programs in the US, each using a
different model to address access to care issues.