Welcome, good doctor

The most cheering piece of news about Hoag Memorial Hospital

Presbyterian’s hiring a new chief executive was that from 340

resumes, the choice of Dr. Richard Afable, hospital officials said,

was a clear one.

“One of the things that attracted us was a comment that this was a

continuation of his calling,” Dick Ortwein, chairman of Hoag

Hospital’s board of directors, told the Pilot. “It wasn’t just

another job for him.”

Afable quickly will find that his new Hoag position can’t be just

a job. Hoag plays too important a role in this community.

Hoag holds a central place in Newport Beach -- now even more so as

its women’s center near completion. For 50 years, residents have been

able to turn to the hospital’s doctors for comfort and curing. It’s

grown alongside Newport into a world-renowned facility. Hoag wouldn’t

be what it is today without Newport Beach -- and Newport wouldn’t be

what it is without its hospital.

For much of Hoag’s existence, Michael Stephens has ensured that

the hospital was on the front-edge of medical care and technology.

That role now is Afable’s.

That role, mind you, not that job.

On behalf of the community, we welcome him to town.