Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian has received a gift of $5 million from renowned Orange County philanthropist Sue Gross that will be used to significantly expand the scope of services at the Hoag Breast Center in Newport Beach.
“Many women I have known have bravely faced breast cancer, including my mother and two sisters,” Gross said in making her gift from the Sue J. Gross Foundation. “I’m proud to be able to make this gift in all of their honors. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and my wish is that this contribution will serve as a beacon of hope for all women battling this disease, and also as a reminder that we can never stop advancing the treatments available and the search to finally find a cure.”
In appreciation of her major gift, Hoag is renaming the center in Newport Beach the Sue J. Gross Comprehensive Breast Center, which is located within the Women’s Health Institute at Hoag.
“Just when we thought Sue Gross could not possibly be any kinder or more generous, she once again proves us wrong,” said Flynn A. Andrizzi, Ph.D, president of the Hoag Hospital Foundation. “Her compassion and concern for the health and well-being of women is remarkable. This latest gift will enable us to continue our pioneering care in breast cancer and our ongoing quest to once and for all help discover a cure for a disease that impacts the lives of millions of women around the world.”
Gross’ new gift further expands her commitment to supporting all aspects of women’s health, and to enhancing the programs and services at the acclaimed Hoag Women’s Health Institute.
Her gift adds to a remarkable legacy of giving to Hoag through the years that has enabled the health care system to expand services and hire internationally renowned physicians and researchers.
Last month, Gross donated $1 million to the Hoag Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine Center in honor of her brother-in-law, Joseph Warpinski, who suffered a horrific wound and received lifesaving care at Hoag. The center was renamed the Sally & Joseph Warpinski Wound Healing & Hyberbaric Medicine Center.
Through the Sue J. Gross Foundation, and as past president of the Gross Family Foundation, Gross has long supported issues she cares deeply about with major financial gifts that have expanded quality health care services available to Orange County residents.
Prior to these two gifts totaling $6 million, past gifts from Gross have included one for $20 million to fund comprehensive women’s services at Hoag. Hoag renamed its women’s health care facility the Bill & Sue Gross Women’s Pavilion. For many years, it was the largest gift in Hoag’s history.
Another gift funded the Gross Family Foundation Endowed Chair in Oncoplastic Breast Surgery, which is held by renowned oncologist Dr. Melvin J. Silverstein, medical director of the Hoag Breast Center.
This year, more than 320,000 women in the United States are expected to be diagnosed with invasive or non-invasive breast cancer, or about one in every eight women. With the exception of lung cancer, more American women die each year from breast cancer than any other cancer. Fortunately, ongoing discoveries are leading to advanced treatments, and detections through earlier screenings have decreased the overall death rate in recent years.
“October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and we are encouraging women to resume their annual breast imaging,” said Allyson Brooks, M.D., the Ginny Ueberroth Executive Medical Director Endowed Chair of Hoag Women’s Health Institute. “The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in many individuals delaying recommended health screenings. Our expert staff and state-of-the-art breast imaging facilities are committed to your safety and well-being. We look forward to providing an exceptional experience in our Certified Quality Breast Centers of Excellence.”
The newly-named Sue J. Gross Comprehensive Breast Center in Newport Beach is the first and only breast center in Orange County to be designated as a Certified Quality Breast Center of Excellence, the highest level of accreditation by the National Quality Measures for Breast Centers Program. Hoag’s Breast Program consistently exceeds national averages for five-year relative survival rates for invasive breast cancer.
Thanks in large part to philanthropy, Hoag has become one of the nation’s finest health care systems and serves a diverse and growing population. Hoag Hospital Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Hoag, is an integral partner in Hoag’s vision to become a trusted and nationally recognized health care leader.
Please visit www.HoagPromise.org and www.hoag.org for more information.
