In a year of towering achievements, one thing stands out: CHOC Children’s commitment to defining the future of pediatric care.

Our colorful and majestic new Bill Holmes Tower features state-of-the-art medical services delivered in a safe and comfortable environment. The tower is a physical manifestation of our vision to be the leading destination for children’s health by providing exceptional and innovative care. It’s an exciting new era. In this report, you can read about some of the ways CHOC is evolving as your hospital. Like a proud parent celebrating a milestone of a child, all of us are thrilled about the present—and are just as excited about the future.

Life is filled with milestones, and turning 50 is one of them.

At CHOC Children’s, we started the celebration a little early with one of the most transformative years in our organization’s 49-year history. The opening in February 2013 of our seven-story Bill Holmes Tower, home to the region’s only dedicated pediatric emergency department and other world-class services and programs for our precious patients, marks an exciting turning point as we continue to develop into one of the nation’s premier children’s hospitals. We are filled with pride as we reflect on our dynamic achievements over the last year while we excitedly look forward to what lies ahead.

For the first time in CHOC history, all core patient and ancillary services now are housed under one roof in our beautiful new tower, which tripled the size of our inpatient care facility in Orange. The Holmes Tower is proof that we have delivered on our promise to provide the best health care for our region’s children, while also serving as a symbol of our vision to continue to grow, with continued help from our donors, into the world-class children’s hospital Orange County deserves.

Along with the generous donors and business leaders who continue to support us, I would like to thank all of the physicians, nurses and staff members who each day dedicate themselves to delivering the state-of-the-art services for which CHOC has become renowned. In addition, I would like to thank the Boards of Directors for our hospitals and the CHOC Children’s Foundation. Their commitment to our mission and vision can be seen throughout our accomplishments this past year. And, we could not fulfill our mission without the energy and devotion of the hundreds of volunteers who take pride in enhancing the experiences of our patients.

Not all the excitement over the past year happened in Orange. You can read in these pages about a new epilepsy monitoring unit at CHOC Children’s at Mission Hospital that is designed to better serve our patient population in south Orange County.

Our academic affiliation with UC Irvine remains strong, as have partnerships with other health providers. This includes a recently announced alliance with Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego. The CHOC enterprise has grown to nearly $600 million in annual revenues and more than 3,000 employees. We literally have grown up with Orange County— we are your hospital, now with a combined total of 333 beds in Orange and Mission Viejo.

As we turn the page to prepare for an exciting 50th year, I thank and salute all of CHOC Children’s family and supporters. CHOC Children’s is shaping the future of pediatric medicine, and with the continued support of our generous donors as we enter this exciting new era, we can be confident in declaring that, indeed, the future is bright.

Sincerely,
Kimberly C. Cripe
President and Chief Executive Officer

Bill Holmes’ history-making $27 million gift to CHOC Children’s represents his commitment to ensuring the health and well-being of children in Orange County and beyond. This extraordinary gift allows CHOC to progress on its journey to becoming the leading destination for children’s health by providing exceptional and innovative care.

The opening of the new seven-story Bill Holmes Tower—colorful and dramatic, a beacon of hope in the heart of Orange County—marks a pivotal moment in CHOC’s proud and eventful history.

Highlights of the new Bill Holmes Tower:

• The tower has tripled the size of our inpatient care facility in Orange.
• It contains the region’s only dedicated pediatric emergency department, operating rooms, imaging department and laboratory.
• New technology and additional resources, as well as world-class talent and research capabilities, combine to make for the best in clinical care, research and education.
• Safety is built into the tower. Every patient room and operating room is designed as “same handed” with supplies and equipment located in exactly the same places to minimize the potential for human error.
• An array of interior spaces utilizes light, color and spacious design to help lift spirits and and contribute to a soothing atmosphere that is conducive to healing.
• Our doctors, nurses and staff employ the latest technology, along with standardized, integrated processes, to deliver the best in pediatric care.

At this time every year, I like to take a moment to celebrate the incredible generosity of CHOC Children’s supporters and friends like you. You are making a significant difference at CHOC—thank you! Our patients and families are eternally grateful for the many ways in which you have brightened their lives.

Thanks to the extraordinary support of more than 194,000 donors, we are proud to announce that more than $174 million has been raised to go toward our “Change CHOC, Change the World” campaign.

This campaign is the first phase of a large-scale fundraising effort to ensure that CHOC is the safest, most advanced children’s hospital in the world providing unparalled care while advancing research and training tomorrow’s pediatric professionals.

In fiscal year 2013, CHOC topped off the campaign by raising more than $55 million. We are deeply grateful for the $27 million gift from Bill Holmes, as well as gifts of $1 million or more from our leadership donors – The Argyros Family Foundation, the Harold & Henrietta Lee Estate, Shannon and Amy Ko, The Fry Family Foundation and West Coast University.

Other highlights in this extraordinary fiscal year include the 22nd Annual CHOC Walk in the Park presented by Disneyland Resort, which attracted more than 15,000 participants and raised more than $2 million. And the CHOC Cherishes Children Gala, which raised almost $1 million, and was the highest-grossing and highest-attended gala in CHOC’s history.

With the opening of the Bill Holmes Tower comes an increase in families depending on CHOC for their children’s health care needs. This patient growth increases the importance of and need for continued philanthropic support like yours.

We have built a solid foundation for CHOC, but our journey doesn’t end here. We are now focused on the critical work of growing our endowments and raising funds to expand programs and services.

Together, we can accomplish so much more than what we could ever achieve alone. Thank you for making lives brighter!

Sincerely,
Graig R. Eastin
Vice President, CHOC Children’s Foundation

Click here for a list of our fiscal year 2013 donors.