Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian yesterday announced another $7.5 million gift from philanthropists Julia and George Argyros that will further enhance Hoag’s nationally renowned nursing services. The transformative contribution from the Argyros family extends an already remarkable legacy of giving that spans nearly four decades and has played an important role in growing Hoag’s reputation as one of America’s leading health care providers.
“For many years, I have watched with great admiration as Hoag has used its resources to thoughtfully develop what is without question one of the nation’s finest nursing services,” said Julia Argyros. “Hoag’s nurses are incredibly talented, dedicated and compassionate.”
Since the 1980s, Julia and her husband, Ambassador George Argyros, have given tens of millions of dollars to Hoag to advance care in numerous areas, including cancer, diabetes, nursing, and heart and vascular. This latest gift by the Argyros family builds upon ongoing generous philanthropy directed to Hoag’s nursing, which now totals a remarkable $15 million. In recognition of the family’s long history of leadership giving, including a prior gift of $7.5 million in 2016, Hoag that year established the Julia Argyros Center for Nursing Excellence.
Philanthropist Julia Argyros for whom Hoag’s Julia Argyros Center for Nursing Excellence is named
“As a direct result of Julia Argyros’ extraordinary generosity and kindness, her name has become synonymous with Hoag’s commitment to nursing excellence,” said Flynn A. Andrizzi, Ph.D., president of the Hoag Hospital Foundation. “The enormity of the impact of her gifts is incalculable. It is safe to say that every nurse scholar at Hoag, and every patient and family member whose lives they touch, has good reason to be grateful to her. All of us at Hoag certainly are.”
Dr. Andrizzi noted that Julia’s gifts have provided scholarships to more than 1,300 Hoag nurses, enabling them to pursue advanced education. As a result, 83.2 percent of Hoag nurses have received their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degrees, and many have gone on to receive advanced degrees, including their Master of Science in Nursing. Due in large part to this focus on continued education, Hoag’s nursing services was once again redesignated for the prestigious Magnet recognition in 2020. Awarded by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the designation is the highest honor an organization can receive for professional nursing practice. Only 8 percent of U.S. hospitals achieve Magnet recognition, and only 3 percent have achieved the distinction four times in a row.
According toRick Martin, Ed.D., MSN, RN, Hoag’s senior vice president of clinical operations and chief nursing officer, “Mrs. Argyros’ amazing gift will allow us to build upon the momentum of her earlier gifts, propelling our nursing services beyond our current capabilities while significantly broadening the reach of the Julia Argyros Center for Nursing Excellence.” Describing the gift as a “watershed,” Dr. Martin added that it will help “drive Hoag beyond generalized nursing to a comprehensive corps of nurse specialists, laying the groundwork for the next transformation of nursing at Hoag.”
Dr. Martin said Julia’s gift will “elevate Hoag’s care by exponentially expanding advanced nursing education. The gift will be used to strengthen Hoag’s ability to further increase its BSN rate and master’s level learning opportunities.”
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