Hoag receives $7.5 million from Orange County philanthropists Julia and George Argyros

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach announced that it has received a $7.5-million donation from philanthropists Julia and George Argyros.

The gift will be directed to Hoag’s nursing services. Hospital officials said that the Argyros family has given tens of millions of dollars to Hoag. A total of $15 million was directed to Hoag’s nursing, with the $7.5-million donation in November building upon a previous gift in 2016.

Dr. Flynn Andrizzi, the president of the Hoag Hospital Foundation, said the gifts from the Argyros family have provided scholarships to more than 1,300 nurses to pursue advanced education.

“As a direct result of Julia Argyros’ extraordinary generosity and kindness, her name has become synonymous with Hoag’s commitment to nursing excellence,” Andrizzi said in a statement.

In response to the 2016 gift, Hoag established the Julia Argyros Center for Nursing Excellence.

“The enormity of the impact of her gifts is incalculable,” Andrizzi. said. “It is safe to say that every nurse scholar at Hoag, and every patient and family member whose lives they touch, has good reason to be grateful to her. All of us at Hoag certainly are.”

Rick Martin, Hoag’s senior vice president of clinical operations and chief nursing officer, described the $7.5-million gift as a “watershed.”

Martin said the gift would allow for Hoag to push “beyond generalized nursing to a comprehensive corps of nurse specialists” and would elevate Hoag’s care by expanding advanced nursing education. Hospital officials said that about 83.2% of Hoag nurses have received their bachelor of science in nursing degrees, while others have gone on to receive their master’s.

“For many years, I have watched with great admiration as Hoag has used its resources to thoughtfully develop what is without question one of the nation’s finest nursing services,” Julia Argyros said in a statement. “Hoag’s nurses are incredibly talented, dedicated and compassionate.”

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian has received other large donations this year, including from philanthropist Sue Gross.

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