LAGUNA BEACH : Russian Doctors Will Visit Clinic

A group of Russian doctors touring Orange County medical centers to explore the way health care is delivered in the United States will visit the Laguna Beach Community Clinic on Wednesday.

A UC Irvine professor who is leading the tour said the clinic was chosen because it is an example of “inspired care” for the physicians to consider as they seek ways to provide health care in their disrupted homeland.

“It’s a period of profound social dislocation, and it is in that context that a series of groups have come to learn what they can learn from America,” said John M. Whiteley, a professor of social ecology. “What the university is trying to do as their host is to expose our guests to the diversity of approaches to health care in Orange County.”

The 30 doctors will gather at 3 p.m. Wednesday to tour the community clinic, which offers health care to patients from throughout Orange County.

The clinic, which provides medical care for the entire family, also offers prenatal care and AIDS testing. Patients are charged based on ability to pay.

Earlier in the day, the Russians will visit the Community Clinic of Orange County, which is run by UCI Medical Center in Orange.

Also during their visit, the doctors will visit UCI Medical Center’s emergency unit and cancer center, a Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, Irvine Medical Center and Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach.