Children's Health of Orange County or CHOC is a pediatric healthcare system based in Orange County, California, is committed to being a leading destination for children’s health by providing exceptional and innovative care. Its flagship hospital, known by its acronym CHOC Hospital, is a pediatric acute care hospital located in Orange, California. The hospital has 334 beds and is affiliated with the

University of California, Irvine School of Medicine The University of California, Irvine School of Medicine (UC Irvine School of Medicine or UCI School of Medicine) is an LCME accredited medical school, co-located in Orange County's cities of Irvine on the University of California, Irvine campus ...

. The hospital provides comprehensive pediatric specialties and subspecialties to pediatric patients aged 0–21 throughout Orange County and the Southern California area. CHOC Hospital also features a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, the only of such in Orange County. The regional pediatric healthcare network includes a 334-bed main hospital facility in the City of Orange, and a hospital-within-a-hospital in Mission Viejo. CHOC also offers many primary and specialty care clinics, over 100 additional programs and services, and a pediatric residency program.

History

CHOC officially traces its founding to local entrepreneurs

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

and

Walter Knott Walter Marvin Knott (December 11, 1889 – December 3, 1981) was an American farmer who created the Knott's Berry Farm amusement park in California, introduced the Boysenberry, and made Knott's Berry Farm boysenberry preserves. Early life On De ...

, the founders of

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and

Knott's Berry Farm Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park located in Buena Park, California, owned and operated by Cedar Fair. In 2015, it was the twelfth-most-visited theme park in North America and averages approximately 4 million visitors per year. It features 40 ...

, respectively. In 2013, CHOC opened the new $563 million Bill Holmes Tower, adding seven-stories and 425,524 square feet. The addition also included a new and advanced pediatric emergency department, operating rooms and related services, laboratory, pathology, imaging and radiology services. The tower also features additional private rooms and enhanced family amenities. The new surgery center in the addition was funded from a $30 million donation by the estate of Robert L. Tidwell and bears his name. In 2013 as a part of the new tower, CHOC opened the first pediatric only emergency department in Orange County with the opening of the Julia and George Argyros Emergency Department on March 26, 2013. The new addition was funded by a five million dollar donation by Julia and George Argyros. The 22,000 square foot emergency department also features an ACS verified level II pediatric trauma center including 14 rapid evaluation and discharge exam rooms and three triage suites and features 31 treatment rooms. In November 2020,

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the developm ...

collaborated with

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washing ...

and billionaire

Bill Gates William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions ...

to donate

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consoles to the Children's Hospital of Orange County along with 19 other children's hospitals throughout the country.

Awards

CHOC is consistently named one of the best children's hospitals in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report. CHOC earned the Gold Level CAPE Award from the California Council of Excellence, the only children's hospital in California to ever earn this distinction, and was awarded Magnet designation, the highest honor bestowed to hospitals for nursing excellence.

Children's Hospital of Orange County lobby

In 2017, the ED was the recipient of the Lantern Award from the Emergency Nurses Association for exceptional and innovative performance in leadership, practice, education, advocacy, and research. As of 2021-22, Children's Hospital of Orange County has placed nationally in 7 ranked pediatric specialties on U.S. News & World Report. The hospital is also ranks as #6 in California children's hospitals.

References

External links

This hospital in the CA Healthcare Atlas
A project by OSHPD {{authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1964 Children's hospitals in the United States Hospitals in Orange County, California Buildings and structures in Orange, California Hospitals established in 1964 Pediatric trauma centers