Celebrating 40 Years of Excellence

In 1964, Orange County was experiencing a phenomenal period of growth and prosperity. The University of California at Irvine had just been dedicated. All over the county, orange groves were disappearing as quickly as developers could replace them with new homes, roads, shopping centers and industry. And on October 5, 12-yearold Kendall "Ken" Spicer became the first official CHOC patient, one of four children admitted that day. Within two months, the hospital was already at capacity. For 40 years, CHOC has raised the standard of pediatric care for Orange County's children, and in many cases set new ones. Today, CHOC is the only Orange County facility performing pediatric open heart surgery and bone marrow transplantation. The CHOC residency program trains the pediatricians of tomorrow, and The CHOC Research Institute makes sure patients have access to the most advanced treatment options.

CHOC MILESTONES

Here are just a few highlights from our many "firsts" over the years:

• 1964: CHOC becomes Orange County's first hospital dedicated solely for children.
   
• 1972: Neonatal Transport Team is established. By 1981, CHOC is transporting more critically ill infants and children than any other hospital in California.
   
• 1975: Neonatal Intensive Care Unit opens, providing state-of-the-art diagnostic and monitoring equipment for critically ill newborns and children.
   
• 1982: Pediatric Cancer Research Lab opens, providing an onsite facility for critically needed cancer research.
   
• 1986: Orange County's first bone marrow transplant is performed at CHOC.
   
• 1987: CHOC becomes the first Orange County hospital to provide Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO).
   
• 1992: CHOC receives approval from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education for an independent residency program.
   
• 1993: CHOC at Mission opens on the fifth floor of Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo.
   
• 1993: Clínica CHOC Para Niños opens in a Santa Ana neighborhood.
   
• 1993: Healthy Tomorrows begins providing mobile medical services to uninsured children at Santa Ana elementary schools.
   
• 1996: CHOC opens Orange County's first emergency room for children.
   
• 1999: The CHOC Cord Blood Bank and Research Center opens.
   
• 2000: CHOC opens a pediatric clinic at the Boys & Girls Club of Santa Ana, the nation's first free-standing, full-service pediatric clinic in a Boys and Girl's Club.
   
• 2003: CHILD Magazine ranks CHOC as one of America's best children's hospitals, the only hospital in California to make the magazine's Top 25 list.
   
• 2003: In partnership with Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, CHOC opens The Epilepsy Center, the first program of its kind in Orange County.