Hoag Hospital Foundation Hosts 10th Anniversary Choose Nursing, Choose Hoag Luncheon with New York Times Best-Selling Author Dean Koontz

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – September 18, 2014 – The Hoag Hospital Foundation hosted its 10th Anniversary Choose Nursing, Choose Hoag 2014 Luncheon, held on Wednesday, September 17, 2014, at the Balboa Bay Resort with grateful Hoag patient and best-selling author, Dean Koontz, as the keynote speaker.

America’s most popular suspense novelist Dean Koontz is a prolific writer with over 60 novels in print, 54 of which have been New York Times best-sellers. Fourteen of his novels have risen to number one on the hardcover best-seller list, making him one of only a dozen writers to achieve that milestone, and 17 have been number one in paperback. His books are published in 38 languages and have sold 450 million copies worldwide. His latest release is The City.

“We were delighted to have Dean Koontz participate in this year’s luncheon. As a grateful patient, he understands the importance of our community coming together through Choose Nursing, Choose Hoag to positively impact educational opportunities for nurses and through their care, the lives of Hoag patients,” said Flynn Andrizzi, PhD , Hoag Hospital Foundation President and Sr. Vice President for Hoag.

With over 300 guests in attendance, this year’s 10th anniversary luncheon was a meaningful tribute to an extraordinary group of Hoag Hospital Foundation donors who contributed to raising more than $2 million throughout the past year to fund a record of 363 scholarships for Hoag nurses in 2014.

Since its inception in 2004, Choose Nursing, Choose Hoag (CNCH) has played an integral role in providing philanthropic support through education initiatives and academic scholarships for Hoag nurses to define excellence in care and compassion. Over the last 10 years, CNCH has raised over $24 million and provided over 600 scholarship awards to Hoag nurse scholars for their continued education, training and advanced degrees.

Choose Nursing, Choose Hoag provides educational and scholarship support to Hoag nurses that wish to advance their degree with the intention to not only increase Hoag’s patient care delivery but also support the Institute of Medicine’s 2020 mandate, which states that 80 percent of nurses employed by Magnet Hospitals must have a bachelor’s degree or higher for the hospital to retain its Magnet status. CNCH is committed to meet and exceed the minimum by securing the scholarship funding needed to offset the financial challenge facing many of our nurses.

To learn more about Choose Nursing, Choose Hoag, visit www.hoaghospitalfoundation.org.

About Hoag Hospital Foundation

Thanks in large part to philanthropy, Hoag has become one of the nation’s finest healthcare systems and serves a diverse and growing population. Hoag Hospital Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Hoag (a separate 501(c)(3) corporation), is an integral partner in Hoag’s vision to become a trusted and nationally recognized healthcare leader. Under the direction of a volunteer Board of Directors, the Foundation conducts campaigns and programs that generate more than $40 million per year in gifts and pledges. The Foundation is currently in the planning phase of a campaign with a working goal of $500 million by 2020. Please visit www.hoaghospitalfoundation.org.