West Coast University Donates More than $2.2 Million to CHOC Children’s
West Coast University Donates More than $2.2 Million to CHOC Children’s
Gift to be used to establish West Coast University Nursing Researchand Education Center at CHOC Children’s
Orange, Calif., – September 26, 2012 – Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC Children’s) today announced it has received a donation of $2,237,500 from West Coast University. The gift supports the “Change CHOC, Change the World” campaign, which aims to make CHOC Children’s one of the safest, most advanced children’s hospitals in the nation.
Specifically, the gift will be allocated as follows:
- $1,087,500 to establish a Center of Nursing Excellence at CHOC Children’s named the West Coast University Nursing Research and Education Center. This includes a nurse researcher and professional development programs designed to further advance nursing research and education at CHOC Children’s.
- $600,000 to name three conference rooms in CHOC Children’s South Tower, which is set to open in April 2013.
- $550,000 to fund academic/global scholarships for CHOC Children’s nursing staff.
“We are grateful for the support and partnership of West Coast University. This generous gift supports our commitment to education, enhancing our nursing practice and promoting our culture of safe and quality patient care,” said Kim Cripe, president and CEO, CHOC Children’s.
West Coast University and CHOC Children’s have a long-standing partnership, sharing a deep dedication to training the next generation of healthcare providers.
“We are pleased to make this important contribution to CHOC Children’s Hospital,” said West Coast University President and CEO Barry Ryan, JD, PhD. “Our institutions share a common vision of building communities through excellence in health care. We are committed to inspiring and preparing the best and brightest health care professionals through our innovative simulation learning technologies, and are pleased to support CHOC on the Research and Education Center which will certainly produce significant advancements in children’s medical care and well-being.”
West Coast University is active in a number of philanthropic activities throughout Southern California. Giving back to the community in which they serve is a key initiative of WCU Chairman of the Board, Mr. David Pyle. “Witnessing the deep collaboration between our institution of higher learning and the renowned CHOC hospital is the realization of a goal I’ve held for nearly 35 years,” said Mr. Pyle. “Education institutions and hospitals working hand-in-hand to develop the best in patient care is what it’s all about.”
With West Coast University’s gift, CHOC Children’s has raised more than $120 million in its “Change CHOC, Change the World” campaign. The campaign will help CHOC realize its vision of achieving national recognition as a premier children’s hospital by building a new pediatric care tower; establishing a substantial endowment to support recruiting more of the world’s top pediatric experts who can drive research and clinical breakthroughs; and building upon the academic and research affiliation with UC Irvine and its School of Medicine to advance innovative treatments and cures for children – locally and across the globe.
To learn more about ways to give to the campaign, call the Foundation at (714) 532-8690 or visit www.choc.org/giving.
West Coast University
West Coast University is one of Southern California’s leading health care educators, with campuses in Los Angeles, Orange County and Ontario. It offers programs in nursing, health care management and dental hygiene. Its new campus in Dallas, Texas, offers nursing programs. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) awarded programmatic accreditation to WCU’s Bachelor and Master of Science in Nursing program. WCU’s Dental Hygiene program at the Orange County Campus is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) of the American Dental Association to offer the only Bachelor of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene (BSDH) in Orange County. It is one of only four BSDH programs in California. West Coast University is institutionally accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC – www.wascsenior.org) and by the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS – www.acics.org.) For more information, visit West Coast University.
About CHOC Children’s
About CHOC Children’s: Named one of the best children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report (2012-2013) and a 2011 Leapfrog Top Hospital, CHOC Children’s is exclusively committed to the health and well-being of children through clinical expertise, advocacy, outreach and research that brings advanced treatment to pediatric patients. Affiliated with the University of California, Irvine, CHOC’s regional healthcare network includes two state-of-the-art hospitals in Orange and Mission Viejo, several primary and specialty care clinics, a pediatric residency program, and four centers of excellence – The CHOC Children’s Heart, Neuroscience, Orthopaedic and Hyundai Cancer Institutes.
CHOC earned the Gold Level CAPE Award from the California Council of Excellence, the only children’s hospital in California to ever earn this distinction, and was awarded Magnet designation, the highest honor bestowed to hospitals for nursing excellence. Recognized for extraordinary commitment to high-quality critical care standards, CHOC’s Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) is the first in the United States to earn the Pediatric Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence.
