Enter your ZIP code:

Please enter a 5 digit zipcode
No results...

Entering your zip code helps us to provide information and results that are more relevant to you.

Your privacy is important to us. By continuing, you agree to our Privacy Policy.

Get Care Now Pay My Bill News Careers Giving Patient Portal
Schedule an Appointment

19th annual UCI Health Regional Burn Center survivor’s summer picnic fosters support and community for patients and loved ones

06.29.2026

Picnics, support groups play a critical role in one’s recovery from severe burns

a young burn survivor wearing a fireman's hat attends the burn scar print workshop at the annual uci health burn picnic on june 28
A young burn survivor participates in a burn scar art workshop at the 19th annual UCI Health Regional Burn Center summer picnic on June 28.

Orange, Calif. — More than 100 burn survivors and their loved ones joined UCI Health Regional Burn Center physicians and nurses to kick off the summer with a picnic featuring games, a photo booth, bounce house, food and community.

The 19th annual event, held in the Healing Garden in front of UCI Douglas Hospital on the UCI Health — Orange campus, also reunited patients and their families with their care team.

“Picnics, peer-to-peer support groups and attendance at burn survivor camps play an important role in everyone’s recovery journey,” said Dr. Syed F. Saquib, a trauma surgeon and medical director of the UCI Health Regional Burn Center. “Having a patient connect with someone who is a survivor helps them to understand what their journey will be like and what to be mindful of during recovery.”

New to the event this year was a popular skin art printing station, where survivors and loved ones of all ages rolled ink directly onto the skin and then printed the inked skin onto paper. This type of art provides survivors and their loved ones with a creative way to express their healing journey and celebrate resilience.

Firefighters from the Orange City Fire Department also attended and provided kids with tours of their firetruck. Each family also received a back-to-school backpack filled with school supplies.

UCI Health –– Orange is home to the county’s only Regional Burn Center verified by the American Burn Association for adult and pediatric care. 

Each year, the team treats more than 600 patients — one-third of them children — for mild, severe and life-threatening burns. 

This includes: 

  • Scald burns
  • Friction burns and road rash 
  • Thermal burns 
  • Chemical burns 
  • Electrical burns and related injuries 

In addition to medical care, the UCI Health Regional Burn Center also addresses the emotional needs of patients and families recovering from injury. They have access to a burn psychologist, monthly burn survivor support groups, annual gatherings and events to build community and more. 

Learn more about the UCI Health Regional Burn Center.

About UCI Health

UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, has been the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, since 1976. The 1,461-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Health — Orange, its flagship hospital, the UCI Health — Irvine acute care hospital and medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and a network of ambulatory care centers across the region. UCI Health — Orange provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to the only Orange County-based National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).