Newport Beach, Calif. (Dec. 17, 2014) — Hoag Hospital Foundation has received a $1.5 million gift from grateful patient Gary Fudge, of Newport Beach, to support Hoag’s Stroke Program within Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute.

Four years ago, Gary Fudge woke up with a sudden and severe headache. Gary was rushed to the Joan & Andy Fimiano Emergency Pavilion at Hoag Hospital Newport Beach, where he later learned he had suffered a Hemorrhagic stroke. “I am here today because of the exceptional team at Hoag, and particularly, Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute,” said Gary Fudge. Gary’s experience has inspired him to give back to his community to ensure the best care for other stroke patients as well as community education so others recognize the signs of stroke. His gift will help ensure Hoag Neurosciences Institute continues to house the most advanced technology by updating the newly named Fudge Family Advanced Imaging Suite at Hoag Hospital Newport Beach.

“The Fudge Family Advanced Imaging Suite empowers Hoag Neurosciences Institute's Stroke team with the most advanced technology enabling precise and efficient 3D image guided , minimally invasive stroke rescue,” said Michael N. Brant-Zawadzki, M.D., F.A.C.R., who holds the Ron and Sandi Simon Executive Medical Director Endowed Chair at Hoag Neurosciences Institute. “The Fudge family gift to the Stroke program fuels critically needed education regarding the prevention of this common life threatening disorder, and the recognition of the earliest warning signs which in turn enables the earliest possible intervention to mitigate irreversible brain injury.”

Nationally recognized, Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute is an integrated, multidisciplinary team approach to disorders of the brain, nerves and spine using the best evidence-based clinical care, state-of-the-art technology, and advanced clinical research, all focused on the individual patient need. Hoag is a designated Stroke-Neurology Receiving Center and a founding member of Orange County’s comprehensive stroke hospital network. It is the only program able to produce nation-leading patient outcome statistics for all patients it treats three months out from their stroke.

Gary Fudge is a resident of Newport Beach, a Trustee of the Fudge Family Foundation, and the founder of Automotive.com. He is a graduate of Indiana University, where he received a B.S. in Physics; Princeton University, where he received an M.S. in Engineering and American University, where he received an MBA in Finance.

Gary hopes his gift will help the remarkable physicians, nurses and staff at Hoag advance the neurological care of our community now and in the future.

For more information on supporting Hoag, visit www.hoaghospitalfoundation.org.

About Hoag Hospital Foundation
Thanks in large part to philanthropy, Hoag has become one of the nation’s finest healthcare 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 healthcare leader. Under the direction of a volunteer Board of Directors, the Foundation conducts campaigns and programs that generate more than $40 million per year in gifts and pledges. The Foundation is currently in the planning phase of a campaign with a working goal of $500 million by 2020. Please visit www.hoaghospitalfoundation.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 24,000 inpatients and 362,000 outpatients annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals, six health centers, and seven 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. 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 U.S. News & World Report Metro Edition. National Research Corporation has endorsed Hoag as Orange County’s most preferred hospital for the past 19 consecutive years and, for an unprecedented 19 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag as one of the county’s best hospital in a local newspaper survey. Visit www.hoag.org for more information.