Children’s Hospital of Orange County celebrates new tower
The nine-story building offers outpatient care with more than 25 specialty clinics. The tower also offers research facilities.
It’s designed to offer cutting-edge care and research while being kid-friendly.
Children’s Hospital of Orange County recently completed a nine-story outpatient care and research facility. The tower began a phased opening in late June and is expected to offer more than 168,000 outpatient visits in the first year.
The project also represents a partnership with Mattel, the toy-making company. Mattel’s Global Corporate Events and Philanthropy team created installations with themes reflecting some of its most famous brands, including Barbie and Hot Wheels.
Kim Milstien, regional president of Orange County, Rady Children’s Health, said the new tower marks an important step forward for the pediatric hospital.
“This new tower represents the next chapter in CHOC’s commitment to innovation, excellence, and compassion,” Milstien said in a statement. “From the moment children and families walk through the doors, they’ll experience a space designed to support them as a whole person – physically, emotionally, and developmentally.”
The opening of the tower comes in an eventful year for Children’s Hospital of Orange County. The pediatric hospital joined Rady Children’s Health in January.
The new pediatric tower offers more than 25 specialty clinics, along with imaging services and orthopedic rehabilitation. The specialty care services include oncology, pulmonology, endocrinology and infectious diseases.
In addition to some kid-friendly offerings, the hospital also designed the tower with other features to make the experience a little less intimidating for children. Two new MRI machines from Philips offer lighting and playful scenes, such as the ocean or the jungle, to make screenings a bit more tolerable for kids.
The entire 9th floor of the tower is dedicated to research.
Eventually, the hospital expects the new pediatric tower to serve more than 180,000 patients annually by 2030.
But the hospital is also designed for future needs. Two floors of the tower are designed for future development, the hospital said.
The hospital noted the importance of donors in the construction of the hospital. Some leading contributors included SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union; the Cheng Family Foundation; Sherry and John Phelan; and the Clemons Family Foundation.
Jessica Miley, senior vice president and chief development officer of the CHOC Foundation, says philanthropy plays an important role for the children’s hospital.
“As a nonprofit pediatric healthcare system, CHOC relies on the generosity of our community to bring our mission to life,” Miley said in a statement. “From donors who support life-changing care to corporate partners like Mattel who infuse our spaces with joy, this new tower is a testament to what’s possible when compassion and innovation come together for kids.”
