Dear Neighbors,
There is no question that the last 12 months have tested our strength like nothing we have seen before. In the year since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, we have seen lives disrupted and lives lost on a heartbreaking scale. But we have also seen incredible things. Innovation at the speed of human will. Global cooperation. And medical teams more inspiring than any caped heroes. As the first hospital in the state to successfully treat a known COVID-19 patient, Hoag has been on the frontlines since Day One. I am so grateful to the clinicians and health care workers who pushed through the challenges of COVID-19 to serve our community and expand our services.
This issue of Hoag For Life highlights many programs and innovations that Hoag has launched, despite the pandemic. The Fly Well Clinic opened at John Wayne Airport, the county’s first airport health care clinic. Hoag introduced new technologies to better detect cancer and treat heart conditions. Hoag brought access to groundbreaking clinical trials.
Of course, some things haven’t changed: prevention and early detection are essential to good health. So, please, do not delay care. Make appointments and schedule those screenings that had to be put off due to the pandemic. As I look forward to all Hoag has planned, I am excited for the future of health care in Orange County. We are motivated. We are dedicated. And we are here for our community. For life.
Sincerely,
Robert T. Braithwaite
