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Heather and Paul Haaga A focus on extraordinary achievement
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Heather and Paul Haaga
A focus on extraordinary achievement.
Heather and Paul Haaga personify the words community philanthropists, and for many years, they have directed a generous portion of their philanthropy in support of Huntington Hospital. Now, they are again making a difference for the health of our community, through a significant gift toward our new cardiac center.
The Haagas’ gift was, in particular, inspired by the creation of a new state-of-theart suite within the new center that will allow seamless transition from catheterization to surgery — and vice versa. Known as a hybrid suite, it represents the latest advances in care, supporting both catheterization and surgical procedures. It will provide significant benefits for patients whose treatment requires a combination of these techniques. (See page 14 for more information.)
The new suite will introduce a level of cardiac care previously unavailable in the San Gabriel Valley. “We learned,” says Heather, “that the hybrid suite will help the hospital to further expand and enhance lifesaving care. We’re very enthusiastic about it because of the impact it will have.”
We will name the Heather & Paul Haaga Hybrid Catheterization Suite in recognition of this generous couple’s support.
Passionate about impact.
The Haagas were particularly alert to the importance of great heart care as a result of family experience, they note. “My father had heart problems for the last 20 years of his life,” says Paul, “and ultimately passed away as a result of his heart condition.
“Given my father’s experience,” he adds, “I continue to monitor my own heart health carefully. While we don’t just give to causes that are related to diseases we’ve had ourselves, these experiences probably made us more aware of the need for this project and more able to understand its importance.”
The Haagas were also motivated, they explain, by the careful planning that had already gone into the creation of the new cardiac center: At the time our Nan and Howard Schow Emergency & Trauma Center was expanded, we created additional space directly above it, anticipating the need to grow our heart-care services. The new cardiac center’s location also means that patients entering our emergency department with cardiovascular emergencies will reach care more rapidly.
“We were impressed that Huntington Hospital had the foresight to create the space in advance, to house this new center,” says Heather. “As a result, gifts like ours can have a greater impact in terms of advanced systems and technologies.”
When it comes to these technologies, Paul adds, “We were encouraged by the exuberance and excitement of the doctors we spoke with. They’re evidently passionate about what can be achieved in terms of lifesaving care as a result.
“We also recognize this project is important given the aging of the San Gabriel
Valley’s population and thus the likelihood of greater need for heart care,” he continues, “but, in the end, we were inspired not so much by demographics as by the potential to save individual human lives.”
Next-level care.
Paul is the retired chairman of the board of Capital Research and Management Company. Following retirement, he served as interim chief executive officer for National Public Radio, and now serves as chair of that organization’s board of directors. He also serves on the boards of several renowned institutions, including Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, as well as, more locally, the Los Angeles Natural History Museum and The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation.
Heather, an accomplished artist, is also extensively involved in nonprofit causes. She is emerita chair of the Salzburg Global Seminar, a trustee of Princeton Theological Seminary, a member of Princeton University Art Museum’s advisory council, and chair of the African Wildlife Foundation, among other leadership roles.
Regarding both their board involvement and their philanthropy, the Haagas explain, their focus is on organizations they believe are poised to move to a higher level — and on determining how they can personally be of service in supporting such improvement. With regard to their gift to our cardiac center, says Paul, “The hospital is already an exceptional medical institution, and we’re confident that community investments like ours will now help it go from exceptional to extraordinary.”
The Haagas’ generous gift is a philanthropic investment in the future of heart care — including creation of a new hybrid catheterization suite (rendering at left) that will be named in their honor.
