Hoag receives $1-million grant for ER

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian has received a $1 million gift earmarked for the expansion and renovation of its emergency department, the hospital announced Tuesday.

Newport Beach residents Walter and Mary Frome extended the gift to both support the hospital and challenge other donors to supplement the project.

“We have always felt the importance of being actively involved, especially when it comes to supporting foundational elements within our community,” the Fromes said in a news release. “Helping to extend a ‘safety net’ around our community was more like a gift to us, knowing how necessary it is for the future.

“We hope others might feel the same and extend their support not only for the reconstruction, but for the greater good of this wonderful community,” they said.

The project, which calls for a re-engineered layout and 6,000-square-foot addition, will serve local residents and emergency needs that are projected to increase in the next decade. New amenities include 51 private rooms and space for an additional six beds, which hospital officials said would make the hospital the largest and most accommodating in the county.

Construction is scheduled through 2011.