George Hoag Family Foundation Makes Life-Changing Donation to Expand Collaborative Health & Wellness Services for the Underserved Community
It may be brand new, but in a very real sense, the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living has been 75 years in the making. By bringing together a multitude of vital health care, educational and other wellness resources under one roof, the center expands upon the Hoag family’s decades-old pledge to provide easily accessible lifesaving programs and services to the community.
“I see the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living as a unique opportunity to address several community needs in one location,” said Melinda Hoag Smith, whose father, George Hoag, II, established the George Hoag Family Foundation with his parents, Grace and George G. Hoag, Sr.
Hoag Smith continued: “The level of accessibility of key services, from pediatric dentistry to mental health and wellness, is very closely aligned with the Hoag Family Foundation’s 75-year mission to serve the most vulnerable by improving social conditions and promoting human welfare.”
The Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living was made possible by a recent $5 million gift to Hoag Hospital Foundation from its namesake family – the George Hoag Family Foundation.
“The momentum that the Hoag family gift is building at the center is remarkable. We are excited by the opportunity to serve those in need in a setting that offers a unique combination of convenience, compassion and quality health care and wellness programs. Thanks to this gift, we look forward to welcoming new organizations and services in the coming months.” – Robert T. Braithwaite, Hoag President and CEO
Located on the Newport Beach campus, the Center houses an impressive number of organizations that provide a comprehensive range of services, including:
• Hoag’s Mental Health Center, Health Ministry Program and Pastoral Care
• SOS Children & Family Health Center
• The Costa Mesa Family Resource Center
• SOS Dr. Robert & Dorothy Beauchamp Children & Family Dental Center
In a touching tribute during the official unveiling of the Center, Melinda Hoag Smith and her husband, Chuck, recognized Gwyn P. Parry, M.D. for the role he has played leading up to the opening. Hoag Smith recalled the close friendship between her father, George Hoag II, and Dr. Parry, director of Community Health and Community Benefit Program at Hoag. Hoag Smith said Dr. Parry was an important source of friendship and strength to her after her father died and has helped to carry on his legacy. Following the brief tribute, she unveiled a poignant inscription of Dr. Parry’s guiding statement for the Community Health team that is prominently displayed in the Center’s lobby.
The goal of the Melinda Hoag Smith Center for Healthy Living is to become a centralized, one-stop location for a wide array of community health services and programs. Bringing together health and wellness organizations under a single roof will create synergies and shared resources that will enable underserved families and individuals to receive holistic health and wellness services provided by a comprehensive network of experts that includes doctors, nurses, spiritual leaders and behavioral and mental health professionals.
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