With the opening of Orange County’s only cancer specialty hospital, City of Hope ushers in a new era of hope and innovation on a 72-acre academic research campus built for the single purpose of saving lives.
The grand opening celebration of Orange County’s only cancer specialty hospital marked a significant milestone in the fulfillment of a promise to the 3.2 million people who call Orange County home — a promise to the mother, the father, the friend who may come through the doors frightened and in need of hope.
“A beacon of hope, created for and with the community it serves, this place stands as proof that when people come together with courage and conviction, dreams once thought impossible can become real,” said Annette Walker, president, City of Hope Orange County.
The new hospital, seamlessly connected to City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center, will welcome its first patients on Dec. 1. During the grand opening ceremony, speakers acknowledged the tremendous effort of the numerous community leaders and partners who made the bold vision a reality.
“This is what it looks like when a community decides that hope will live here,” said Robert Stone, CEO, City of Hope, and Helen and Morgan Chu Chief Executive Officer Distinguished Chair. “We are expanding access to leading-edge treatments, to lifechanging and lifesaving expertise. We are breaking down barriers and showing that hope is within reach in community after community; and it all started here, in Orange County.”
“City of Hope has always believed that every patient should have access to advanced, life-saving care,” said Walker. “That belief created a vision for a future where every part of that cancer journey — prevention, diagnosis, leading edge treatments, clinical trials and survivorship — could happen right here, close to family, close to love, close to hope.”
More than 100 specialized physician-scientists have answered the call to practice at the Orange County campus, “each bringing a wealth of expertise and a tireless commitment to healing,” said Edward S. Kim, M.D., M.B.A., physician-in-chief, City of Hope Orange County, Construction Industries Alliance City of Hope Orange County Physician-in-Chief Chair and vice physician-in-chief, City of Hope National Medical Center. “These are among the best minds in cancer care,” he said, adding that the hospital will enable more groundbreaking clinical trials and provide an around-the-clock evaluation and treatment center for City of Hope patients. “This is important work. It is a lifesaving and life-affirming endeavor, and none of us would want to do anything else.”
City of Irvine mayor Larry Agran gave thanks for the contributions that City of Hope has made to the city and the area. “City of Hope’s presence in Irvine has sparked a wave of healthcare development across the region,” he said, “creating jobs, attracting top-tier talent, and improving lives across Orange County and beyond.”
City of Hope patients attending the celebration expressed gratitude for their care and affirmation of the hope the hospital represents. “City of Hope didn’t just build a beautiful new building, they built a path to health for all of us,” said Joanna Mendez, who said she is not just a endometrial and thyroid cancer survivor but a “cancer thriver.”
“Upon my diagnosis, I started questioning everything, wondering what I could have done differently, carrying guilt that I had never expressed,” Mendez said. “That is, until I met my oncologist, Dr. Joshua Cohen, here at City of Hope. One of the very first things he told me, without me ever saying a word, was, ‘This is not your fault.’ At that moment, something inside me softened. I knew I was in the right place. I knew I was safe.”
Grateful patient Todd Kennedy said what sets the campus apart is that patients have everything need in their cancer journey — cancer-focused expertise, breakthrough treatments, pioneering clinical trials — on one campus, closer to home. “Having a 24/7 evaluation and treatment center [at the hospital] with specialists who know my medical history brings me incredible peace of mind. Day or night, if I have an immediate cancer-related need, I know where to go,” Kennedy said.
Grateful patient Lithia Whitenhill beamed as she posed for photos with her physicians. “I am overjoyed to be cancer-free through the grace of God and the exceptional care I received at City of Hope Orange County,” Whitenhill said.
More than 40,000 patients have received care at a City of Hope Orange County facility since 2020. The opening of City of Hope Orange County Cancer Specialty Hospital marks a powerful step forward, and it’s only the beginning of a relentless pursuit to transform cancer care for generations to come.
“To the future and current patients who will walk through these doors: know that you’re not alone,” said Mendez. “This place will hold you, lift you, and fight with you every step of the way; and like me, you will find strength, compassion, and healing within these walls.”
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