Your kindness in action: Beyond Health

Hearst family goes Beyond Health to support critical patients with the new Hearst Heliport

Steve Hearst, the great-grandson of William Randolph Hearst, has long been dedicated to enhancing health care services for patients on the Central Coast, due to his personal connection and his family’s historic ties to the area.

Together with his family and the Hearst Foundations, Steve made the initial contributions that enabled French Hospital to establish the Hearst Cancer Resource Center (HCRC) in 2008. Since that time, he has continued to provide significant support for the HCRC, including hosting the Foundation’s annual Share the Hope fundraiser and providing leadership on the Foundation’s HCRC Advisory Committee.

After learning about the Beyond Health Campaign and the enhanced levels of care Your New French Hospital will provide local residents, Steve Hearst and his wife, Barbara, became interested in supporting the effort. Among the new additions to the hospital will be a heliport, located on top of a new parking structure on the hospital campus. This new heliport will significantly reduce the time needed to transport trauma patients and patients in critical condition to and from the hospital, improving care outcomes and saving lives. Inspired by the impact that the heliport will have for patients, the Hearsts made a generous $500,000 contribution. In recognition of the gift, the new heliport will be named the Hearst Heliport.

The Hearst Foundations also recently awarded a $250,000 grant to support the Beyond Health campaign.

“French Hospital has always impressed me with the way they care for the Central Coast community,” says Steve. “The new expansion of the hospital, including the heliport, is an important next step in continuing that legacy. Barbara and I are honored to be a part of bringing a new level of care to local patients.”

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Transforming care for critical newborns and local cancer patients

During a hospital tour in 2022, local resident Diana Beaudry had the opportunity to meet with hospital caregivers and leaders to learn about patient services and the Beyond Health campaign. She recalls being immediately impressed by the staff’s warmth and dedication to caring for patients, in addition to their expertise.

Her visit inspired her to make a significant gift to support the new Stan & Barbara Clark Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) that is part of Your New French Hospital. The NICU features individual neonatal suites to provide families with added privacy, increased opportunity for bonding and allow parents to room overnight with their critical care newborns. A portion of her gift will also support the Hearst Cancer Resource Center (HCRC) Endowment. In recognition of her generosity, a wing in the new NICU will be named the Beaudry Wing and the HCRC multipurpose room will be named the Beaudry Multipurpose Room.

“For patients, it’s so important that excellent care can be received locally, but also delivered compassionately and with kindness,” says Diana. “I’m honored to be a part of bringing the new NICU to our community and to support local cancer patients through the HCRC.”

Diana Beaudry

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Beyond Health: Your New French Hospital Highlights

A new four-story 85,000 square foot Patient Care Tower

56 new single patient rooms

Stan & Barbara Clark Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Beaudry Wing, NICU

An additional 10 Intensive Care Unit suites

A new front entrance, lobby, and dining area

Martin Hulburd Family Welcome Center

Gretchen & Brad Wilde Courtyard

Ronca Family Plaza

Holistic grounds and healing spaces

Swanson Family Chapel

Mary Lou Couch Meditation Room and Serenity Garden

Miossi Rooftop Garden Terrace

Hearst Heliport for critical emergencies

Expanded space for imaging, labs, food preparation, and more

Enhanced and advanced technologies and services

A new parking structure

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Bringing healing and spiritual spaces to patients and families

John Couch

John Couch, one of UC Berkeley’s first computer science graduates, was Apple’s 54th employee. He eventually became its first Vice President of Software and, later, the first Vice President of Education. Following his career at Apple, he pursued other business ventures and coauthored several books.

After recently relocating to the Central Coast, John was introduced to French Hospital and learned about the Beyond Health campaign. He became interested in supporting the campaign after learning about the impact Your New French Hospital will have on local health care, especially with the increased focus on including holistic healing spaces in the design of the expansion.

Healing spaces are being incorporated throughout the new campus, aimed at supporting the emotional, mental and spiritual needs of patients and families.

John made a $500,000 gift in support of these new healing spaces, including a meditation room and a serenity garden located adjacent to the main lobby in the new Patient Care Tower, for ease of access by patients, visitors and staff.

His generosity will be recognized with the naming of the Mary Lou Couch Meditation Room and Serenity Garden, in memory of his late mother Mary Lou Couch, who passed away in 2021.

“I am honored to support French Hospital and its vision for the future,” says John. “And I am truly touched to name this important healing space in recognition of my mother. She was a deeply spiritual woman and to honor her in this way is very meaningful to our family.”

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Beyond Health Business Partners support the health of our community

Our Beyond Health Business Partners program engages local businesses in the health care growth and economic well-being of our community by supporting Your New French Hospital. In addition to bringing advanced health care and medical facilities to the Central Coast, the expansion will enhance workforce wellness and impact our local economy.

In the first year of the program, several prominent local businesses have become Business Partners, including Collaboration Business Consulting, Glenn Burdette, Morris & Garritano Insurance Agency, Promega Biosciences, RRM Design Group, and SESLOC Federal Credit Union. Below, two of these businesses share why they support the Beyond Health campaign for Your New French Hospital.

SESLOC Federal Credit Union

Access to high-quality health care is extremely important for our employees and our entire community,” says Geri LaChance, SESLOC President and CEO (pictured at right). “Hospital facilities updated with state-of-the-art technology provide greater opportunities for recruiting highly specialized physicians and medical teams, improving the landscape of local health care for the long term. SESLOC wanted to be part of this significant transformation.

- Geri LaChance, President and CEO, SESLOC Federal Credit Union

Geri LaChance

Morris & Garritano Insurance Agency

We provide peace of mind to our clients during life’s hard moments, much like French Hospital does for their patients and family members,” says Kerry Morris, Chief Operating Officer and Principal of Morris & Garritano (pictured at right). “By supporting the Beyond Health Campaign, we are able to help ensure that high-quality, compassionate, and accessible care is available to the members of our community now and for generations to come.

- Kerry Morris, Chief Operating Officer and Principal, Morris & Garritano Insurance Agency

Kerry Morris