Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian has received a $3 million gift from the Iacocca Family Foundation that will expand and enhance a program for type 1 diabetes at the Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center.
In appreciation of the generous gift, Hoag is naming the Mary & Lee Iacocca Program in Type 1 Diabetes to honor the Iacocca Family Foundation’s mission to fund innovative and promising diabetes research that will lead to a cure for the disease and alleviate its complications.
Lee Iacocca established the Iacocca Family Foundation in 1984 in honor of his late wife,
Mary K. Iacocca, who died from complications of type 1 diabetes. Since its inception, the Iacocca Family Foundation has funded more than $40 million in promising research projects.
Lee Iacocca was president of the Ford Motor Company, where he was credited with being the “father of the mustang” in the 1960s. He then became chairman and CEO of the Chrysler Corporation and was responsible for the company’s turnaround in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He passed away in 2019.
“We could not be more grateful to the Iacocca Family Foundation for supporting Hoag’s role in becoming the preeminent, trusted destination for comprehensive type 1 diabetes care in Orange County,” said Flynn A. Andrizzi, PhD, president of the Hoag Hospital Foundation. “This gift facilitates research and educational programs to expand our knowledge of diabetes prevention and management and will help provide truly comprehensive, connected and customized care for the lives of people living with diabetes and their families.”
Hoag’s Mary & Dick Allen Diabetes Center ranks nationally for all types of diabetes and endocrinology care. The Center offers traditional clinical services, dietitians, nurse educators, health coaches, support groups, pump trainings and a specialized pharmacist—as well as access to cutting-edge technology through clinical trials.
Through the Mary & Lee Iacocca Program, patients with type 1 diabetes have an Orange County hub for patient-centered care across their entire lifespan. From supporting pediatric patients and their families, to successfully transitioning adolescents into young adulthood, to navigating healthy pregnancies and to reducing long-term complications in older populations, the program provides care that is tailored to an individual’s personality, cultural upbringing and values.
Lee and Mary Iacocca’s daughters, Lia Assad and Kate Hentz, are proud to be carrying on their parents’ legacy by establishing this program on the West Coast on behalf of the Iacocca Family Foundation.
“Until we find a cure, it feels right to help people with diabetes through a program that has an immediate impact on their day-to-day lives,” said Kate. Lia, a Laguna Beach resident, echoed her sister’s sentiments: “It’s important to me that families right here in our community have the resources and support they need.”
Visit www.hoag.org for more information.
