Building For The Future
A Message from Administration: Kimberly Chavalas Cripe, President and Chief Executive Officer

“ORANGE COUNTY IS ALREADY THE FIFTH LARGEST COUNTY IN THE NATION AND CONTINUES TO GROW. CHILDREN COMPRISE 26 PERCENT OF OUR POPULATION. LIKE YOU, WE BELIEVE THEY DESERVE THE SAFEST, MOST ADVANCED PEDIATRIC CARE. THE NEW TOWER WILL BE AN IMPORTANT PART OF BRINGING OUR SHARED VISION TO A REALITY.”

The next decade promises to be an extraordinary time in our hospital’s history. The CHOC Board of Directors has approved plans to move forward with the design and construction of a new patient care tower on the CHOC campus. When this new tower opens in 2012, it will immediately add 60 vitally needed ICU beds and additional patient services. More beds will be added in phases through 2020, bringing our total capacity to 404 patient beds.

I wish to personally thank each member of the CHOC medical staff who has been engaged in the early planning stages of this exciting project. CHOC physicians, nurses and support staff will continue to be the driving force behind the design of the new tower. The planning team has employed leading safety principles into the initial design, including those utilized in industries beyond healthcare, and consulted with national experts, as well as families who have experienced our hospital services.

In this issue of Physician Connection, you’ll find more details about our proposed new tower and other facility improvements currently taking place at CHOC. I look forward to sharing more information with you in the coming months. In the meantime, thank you for your dedication to CHOC’s mission and vision, and for the outstanding care you provide to our patients and families every day.