​The Admired, Longtime Hoag Leader Assumes Top Spot from Dr. Richard Afable, Who Now Heads New Covenant Health Network

Newport Beach, Calif. (March 1, 2013) — Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian today named Robert Braithwaite president and chief executive officer of the renowned network of hospitals and community-based health care centers throughout Orange County.

Braithwaite, who joined Hoag in 1992 and most recently served as its chief operating officer, succeeds Dr. Richard Afable as president and CEO. Afable was named president and CEO of Covenant Health Network, an affiliation between Hoag and St. Joseph Health created to serve as a regional and national model for the future of health-care service delivery, affordability and accessibility.

“I now fully understand the saying, ‘I’m at a loss for words,’ because it’s difficult to express what a profound privilege it is to be given this opportunity,” Braithwaite said. “I have the deepest respect and admiration for the skilled men and women at Hoag who have dedicated their lives to the community’s health and well-being.”

Braithwaite continued: “More than 60 years ago, George and Grace Hoag saw a major need for a community hospital in Orange County founded on a commitment to superior, compassion-driven health care. Their legacy continues today with every life we touch. As Hoag looks to its next 60 years, I am honored to be able to spend my days working with talented individuals whose shared goal is to improve the lives of others.”

“We could not have hoped for a more qualified and capable leader than Robert Braithwaite as Hoag begins its next exciting chapter of serving the community,” said Gary McKitterick, chair of the Board of Directors and a long-standing member of its Executive Committee. “During his long service here, Robert has established a well-deserved reputation as an innovative administrator whose passion and devotion to our mission have played an integral role in Hoag’s national renown. He is widely respected among Hoag’s medical teams, administrators and staff, and he has the Board’s full support and best wishes.”

Braithwaite joined Hoag in 1992 as administrative resident. Throughout his tenure, he has served in key management positions for Hoag’s network of hospitals and community urgent care centers including as chief administrator for Hoag Irvine, which opened in September 2010. From 2009 until his appointment as president and CEO Braithwaite was chief operating officer of Hoag’s entire health care network.

Braithwaite said Hoag’s focus will continue to be on providing outstanding community health care services that benefit from the latest medical and technological advances. Hoag is known for its leadership role in pioneering new procedures, and that commitment will continue through the hospital’s strong support of its physician network, he said.

Braithwaite said another key priority in the coming months is an aggressive expansion of Hoag’s community-based urgent care centers. “As health care professionals, we need to take our services deep into the community where they are needed most and where, far too often, they are beyond the reach of many of Orange County’s underserved residents,” he said.

Hoag’s historic affiliation with St. Joseph Health – approved by the California Office of the Attorney General and both hospitals’ boards of directors in late February – lays the foundation for an unprecedented chapter in Hoag’s history, Braithwaite said.

“We are building upon a six-decade legacy of excellence, and the creation of Covenant Health Network combines the unique strengths of two of California’s best medical institutions. Looking ahead, there will be no interruption whatsoever in Hoag’s forward trajectory. Just the opposite, the affiliation sets the stage for advancements in health care programs and methods of delivery that we couldn’t even dream were possible just a few years ago.”

About Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian

Hoag is an approximately $1 billion nonprofit, regional health care delivery network in Orange County, California, that treats nearly 30,000 inpatients and 350,000 outpatients annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals, seven health centers, and five urgent care centers. Hoag Hospital Newport Beach, which has served Orange County since 1952, and Hoag Hospital Irvine, which opened in 2010, are designated Magnet hospitals 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. Hoag has been named one of the Best Regional Hospitals in the U.S. News & World Report Metro Edition. National Research Corporation has endorsed Hoag as Orange County’s most preferred hospital for the past 16 consecutive years and, for an unprecedented 16 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag as the county’s best hospital in a local newspaper survey. Visit www.hoag.org for more information.