NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., October 4, 2017 --- Hoag Hospital Foundation officials today announced a major philanthropic gift that will be used to establish an endowed chair in aortic care. This important gift brings Hoag’s total number of endowed chairs to 13, underscoring both its national leadership in innovative treatment and clinical research, and the vital role community philanthropy plays in making them possible.

Decades-long friends and long-time supporters of Hoag, Martha and Jim Newkirk gave $3 million to establish the Newkirk Family Endowed Chair in Aortic Care.

“Through the extraordinary generosity of people like the Newkirks, endowed chairs at Hoag are providing an important source of funding for physician leaders to bring medical advances to our community,” Hoag President and Chief Executive Officer Robert T. Braithwaite said.

“While common in academia, endowed chairs are still fairly rare in a community health care setting,” Braithwaite added. “Our endowed chair holders have responsibilities above and beyond providing excellent patient care. In addition to acting as leaders among their peers, they stay continually apprised of the latest advances in their fields and encourage and participate in clinical research and other academic pursuits. They understand the needs of patients from an organizational perspective in a much deeper and more profound way than they would as individual providers. These are lofty goals and our clinical leaders are meeting them thanks to the generous support of our endowed chair donors.”

Martha and Jim Newkirk’s connection to Hoag goes back to its earliest days. Martha was a nurse at Hoag and Jim’s mother, Alta Newkirk, joined the first group of hospital employees as a nurse’s aide in 1952. All of the couple’s children and grandchildren were born at Hoag. To celebrate the family’s long affiliation with and affinity for Hoag, Martha and Jim made a legacy gift of $3 million to create an endowed chair to support aortic care, research and treatment.

Anthony D. Caffarelli, M.D., F.A.C.C., director of Hoag’s Aortic Center and Hoag Cardiovascular Surgery, has been appointed the first physician to hold the Newkirk Family Endowed Chair in Aortic Care, which recognizes his leadership in treating cardiac and vascular diseases. With this endowed chair, Dr. Caffarelli and his team will ensure that Hoag’s patients continue to have access to the most advanced treatment options and quality care for generations to come.

“I had bypass surgery 15 years ago and that spurred our interest in making a gift to support cardiac care at Hoag,” Jim Newkirk shared. “When we met Dr. Caffarelli, we were both so impressed with the level of care he is able to give. We realized that a gift to create this endowed chair in aortic care had the potential for helping many people get extremely high quality care.”

Flynn A. Andrizzi, Ph.D, president of Hoag Hospital Foundation, said the gift from the Newkirks will provide exponential benefits to our community. “Our donors’ remarkable generosity literally changes the trajectory and level of care we provide at Hoag. Endowed chairs enhance Hoag’s reputation and enable us to attract other renowned physicians, nurses and staff. This is so important because it helps Hoag deliver on our promise to provide residents with world-class health care where it is needed most – in our community.”

With the Newkirks’ generous gift, Hoag now has 13 endowed chairs that are enabling the organization to expand and enhance programs in cancer, cardiac care, memory loss and cognitive impairment, neurosciences, cardiovascular surgery, gastrointestinal disease, diabetes, breast care and women’s health services. Andrizzi said, “Supporting Hoag’s extraordinary leaders through the endowed chair program is a key fundraising priority of Hoag Promise, our campaign to lead, innovate and transform.”

ABOUT HOAG HOSPITAL FOUNDATION

Thanks in large part to philanthropy, Hoag has become one of the nation’s finest health care systems and serves a diverse and growing population. Hoag Hospital Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Hoag (a separate 501(c)(3) corporation), is an integral partner in Hoag’s vision to become a trusted and nationally recognized health care leader. Under the direction of a volunteer Board of Directors, the Foundation launched Hoag Promise, Our Campaign to Lead, Innovate &Transform. With a goal of $627 million by 2020, the promise of the comprehensive campaign is to drive Hoag’s continued clinical leadership, innovative spirit and transformative potential. Please visit http://www.hoagpromise.org.

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 seven health centers and ten 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 2017 - 2018 U.S. News & World Report, andBecker’s Hospital Review named Hoag as one of the 2016 “100 Great Hospitals in America” – a designation Hoag has received four times. For an unprecedented 22 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.

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