NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., November 9, 2018 --- Nearly 70 percent of the people who need specialty epilepsy care in Orange County have no access to it. To address this crisis in care, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian announced today a $1 million gift from philanthropists Nancy and Bill Thompson to significantly expand services to Orange County residents who have little to no options for affordable health care.

Collaborating with Lestonnac Free Clinic in Orange, Hoag will efficiently expand access to outpatient services and provide comprehensive epilepsy services at the clinic and beyond, making possible an estimated 300 patient visits per year for under- or uninsured local patients.

David Millett, M.D., Ph.D., program director of the Hoag Epilepsy Program, will provide medical consultations and services at Lestonnac Free Clinic along with a dedicated nurse practitioner. The expanded services will also include access to epilepsy surgery, vagus nerve stimulation treatment (VNS), clinical research studies and other definitive treatments to address a population that had no options for advanced care.

“As an accomplished neurologist who specializes in epileptology, Dr. Millett is passionate about helping patients live a seizure-free life through a combination of minimally invasive surgical techniques, medication management and dietary therapy,” Robert T. Braithwaite, Hoag’s president and CEO, said. “This gift from Nancy and Bill Thompson -- the latest in their remarkable legacy of generosity -- will enable many others to benefit from his expert care.”

Dr. Millett said the need to reach more people with Hoag’s epilepsy services is urgent. “Epilepsy is the fourth-most common neurological problem, affecting more than 3 million Americans,” he explained. “Thanks to the Thompsons’ donation, we will be able to give more individuals access to quality care that is tailored to their individual needs, which is critical to the management of this condition.”

Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute’s Hoag Epilepsy Program offers comprehensive treatment through a patient-centered, integrated approach with a multidisciplinary team of specialists. Utilizing the best in evidence-based practice, state-of-the-art technology and advanced research to be a leading resource for epilepsy patients and their caregivers in Southern California, Hoag is a designated Level 3 Epilepsy Center by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC).

For more information, visit hoag.org/neurosciences.

ABOUT HOAG MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PRESBYTERIAN

Hoag is an approximately $1 billion nonprofit, regional health care delivery network in Orange County, California, that treats more than 30,000 inpatients and 425,000 outpatients annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals – Hoag Hospital Newport Beach, which opened in 1952, and Hoag Hospital Irvine, which opened in 2010 – in addition to eight health centers and 11 urgent care centers. Hoag is a designated Magnet^® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers a comprehensive blend of health care services that includes five institutes providing specialized services in the following areas: cancer, heart and vascular, neurosciences, women’s health, and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate, Hoag Orthopedic Institute, which consists of an orthopedic hospital and two ambulatory surgical centers. In 2013, Hoag entered into an alliance with St. Joseph Health to further expand health care services in the Orange County community, known as St. Joseph Hoag Health. Hoag has been named one of the Best Regional Hospitals in the 2018 - 2019 U.S. News & World Report, andBecker’s Healthcare named Hoag as one of the 2018 “100 Great Hospitals in America” – a designation Hoag has received five times. For an unprecedented 23 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag as one of the county’s best hospitals in a local newspaper survey. Visit www.hoag.org for more information.

ABOUT THE PICKUP FAMILY NEUROSCIENCES INSTITUTE

Delivering a personalized, integrated approach using best-practice guidelines, the most advanced technology, and integration of medical specialists in the most appropriate facilities, the Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute (PFNI) at Hoag provides the highest quality care for patients with brain and spine disorders including stroke, aneurysms and vascular malformations, brain tumors, epilepsy, movement disorders, memory and cognitive disorders, pain, minimally invasive spine surgery, multiple sclerosis, addiction medicine and sleep disorders, as well as the mind-body interface of behavioral health. Several of Hoag’s PFNI programs have received high acclaim, including the stroke program at Hoag, which was the first hospital in Orange County and the second in California to be named a Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center by DNV GL Healthcare. It was awarded the American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement for stroke care. And as one of the first centers in the U.S. to offer the most advanced radiosurgical treatment system available, Leksell Gamma Knife^® Perfexion™, Hoag’s brain tumor program is the largest in Orange County and is also among the top volume programs in the western United States. The epilepsy program is an accredited Level 3 center. The PFNI’s memory and cognitive disorders program is nationally recognized.

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