Our vision
To be the leader in creating community well-being through world-class health care delivered with kindness and dignity.
Our mission
To provide excellent health care and compassionate service to each person by bringing together outstanding physicians, caring nurses, professional staff and advanced technologies.
Our values Respect Integrity Stewardship Excellence Collaboration
As I celebrate my seventh year as Huntington Health’s president and CEO, I couldn’t be prouder of how far we’ve come in realizing our vision of being a leader in creating community well-being. We’ve continued to enhance the excellent care we provide for patients throughout our community and have carried out several important projects. We’ve opened our state-of-the-art Helen and Will Webster Heart & Vascular Center and enhanced specialty care services in cancer, surgery, otolaryngology and women’s health, to name a few.
Most recently, we’ve also embarked on the creation of a new medical pavilion, which will be located on Fair Oaks Avenue. This building will further expand and enhance our campus with specialized care right here in San Gabriel Valley. I encourage you to read the Around the Campus article on page 14 for more details about this exciting new facility.
While we’ve seen many changes in recent years — within our own walls, in the field of health care, in Pasadena and throughout the world — many things remain the same. We continue to provide compassionate care and hold our patients’ health, comfort and well-being above all else, whether at our hospital or our many locations throughout the community.
We are only able to achieve this balance of old and new, tradition and innovation, consistency and growth, thanks to donors like you. Your generous support has helped make Huntington Hospital the highest ranked hospital in the San Gabriel Valley by U.S. News & World Report. We couldn’t have come this far without you. And so, as always, I extend a warm and enthusiastic thank you.
Lori J. Morgan, MD, MBA President and Chief Executive Officer
We are only able to achieve this balance of old and new, tradition and innovation, consistency and growth, thanks to donors like you.
Support from our community helps us deliver trusted, high‑quality health care, close to home. In 2023, gifts from friends like you allowed us to care for our community in the following ways.
544 Hospital beds
342 Average daily census
24,229 Inpatient admissions
122,784 Outpatient visits
2,922 Babies born
10,708 Surgeries performed
76,921 Emergency room visits
2,022 Trauma center visits
3,116 Psychiatry visits
2,348 Cath lab visits
466 NICU patients
3,444 Cancer patients
More than $160 million in community benefits are provided to our community each year. Through education, early diagnostic screenings, emergency preparedness and more, our outreach programs and educational resources help improve the health of our community.
Erica and Bruce Alberts feel that giving back to the community is part of their social responsibility. The couple believe that supporting organizations like Huntington Hospital is not only an investment in improving and saving lives but also an investment in the welfare of the community. As such, the Alberts recently decided to make a generous gift to Huntington Hospital to help us create a new surgery center here. “Given my background,” Bruce says, “it’s natural for me to look at return on investment, and our gift to the hospital will pay dividends to the surrounding community well past our lifetimes, and hopefully in perpetuity. Now, that’s an investment I can wholeheartedly recommend and encourage others to consider!”
Thanks to the support of generous community philanthropists like Erica and Bruce Alberts, we recently completed an ambitious project to expand our surgery center by adding new and upgraded surgical spaces on our campus. Donors like the Alberts helped transform our surgical suites into state-of-the-art facilities, and we are most grateful.
All suites have been fully equipped with advanced technology — including the latest-generation robotic surgery equipment — to provide leading-edge treatment across various specialties. All surgical spaces were built above our Nan and Howard Schow Emergency & Trauma Center and are easily accessed via a single elevator ride. This ensures trauma patients and people with life-threatening conditions can be rapidly transferred to their awaiting surgical team — helping to expedite care and save lives.
The new center is already having a meaningful impact on the lives of patients in need of life-changing surgical care. In 2023, we performed 10,720 surgeries in these rooms — increasing our case volume by nearly 300.
Thanks in part to Erica and Bruce’s invaluable support, Huntington Hospital recently finished construction on our new surgical facilities — helping to ensure we can continue to meet the needs of our community into the future. “The new surgery center is a critical component of the hospital’s efforts to provide state-of-the art care,” Erica says. “Also, as COVID-19 brought new challenges to medical facilities and caregivers, we felt that additional support for the hospital would be helpful in addressing those challenges.”
The advanced facilities made possible with the Alberts’ help feature 15 new and refurbished surgery suites — including the Erica and Bruce Alberts Surgery Suite. These suites are used for general surgery, as well as neurology, trauma, orthopedic and other complex procedures. The new center also features three special suites with the latest-generation robotic surgery technology, which enhances precision and visualization, allowing our surgeons to perform minimally invasive procedures, which reduce recovery times for patients. “We recently became aware of a patient who was transferred to the hospital’s new surgery center,” Bruce says, “so that lifesaving procedures could be performed that were not available at the other hospital. It’s gratifying to know that Huntington Hospital, and hopefully more hospitals, can avail themselves of such capabilities.”
With new and refreshed facilities, enhanced lighting and top-of-the-line technologies, we have been able to enhance our surgical capacity and streamline care. “We understand that since completion of the surgery center,” Erica says, “more than 10,000 surgeries have been performed in the new and improved suites, including life-altering and lifesaving procedures. That gives us a warm and satisfying feeling.”
Our new surgery center is not the only thing Erica and Bruce have helped build. Inspired by her love of California’s — and especially Pasadena’s — rich architectural diversity and history, Erica has designed and/or restored several homes throughout the region. Erica began her career in the entertainment and technology industries — but ultimately found her passion overseeing design and architectural needs for a real estate development firm which lead to her eventually branching out on her own. Her most recent project was a 100-year-old Wallace Neff home with the
goal of restoring it to its original grandeur. Her efforts included replacing the modern lighting by sourcing and restoring vintage fixtures, designing customized tile patterns, sourcing and restoring historically accurate hardware, customizing the interior and exterior paint colors, and implementing environmentally-friendly, droughtresistant landscaping that is more reflective of California’s original landscape. Since completing much of the restoration, the home has been admired as a local landmark. “Our efforts turned into a labor of love, and we sincerely hope that Wallace Neff, the wonderful architect that built this home, would be proud of our restoration efforts in spirit,” says Erica.
The Alberts are passionate about contributing to the local community — from personal passion projects to health care. Bruce is originally from Southern California, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration degrees, as well as his CPA, CVA, CGMA and CMAS certifications. He began his professional career at Deloitte and subsequently embarked on a career as a chief financial officer (CFO). Prior to retiring, Bruce was CFO of the global investment management firm Western Asset Management Company for more than 20 years. “I could not have accomplished everything that I did at Western Asset without Erica’s support, as well as the teamwork and support of the many talented colleagues throughout the organization globally, some of whom have become lifelong friends,” says Bruce. Notably, during his tenure at Western Asset, Bruce was awarded “CFO of the Year” by Los Angeles Business Journal. “I never stopped working from my teenage years until my retirement a few years ago,” he adds. “However, I would say that I’m actually semi-retired as I don’t think I could ever stop working completely.”
Today, Bruce and Erica are enjoying their “semi”-retirement years. “Our involvement with charitable and community organizations, spending time with family and friends, hosting events, mentoring business colleagues and pursuing our personal and professional passions keeps us busier than we might otherwise have expected during retirement,” Bruce says.
But even in retirement, the Alberts are still committed to investing in life-improving and lifesaving institutions in their San Gabriel Valley community. “We have always been impressed by Huntington Hospital’s quality of care,” Bruce says, “as well as its local culture and atmosphere. We wanted to do our part to give back to such an essential service to the community.”
To honor and thank our most generous donors, Huntington Hospital established our Benefactor Circle program. Donors contributing gifts of $250,000 or more join this program and help provide the highest level of support for ongoing needs and other transformative work at the hospital. Benefactor Circle donors receive a Benefactor Card to facilitate additional patient support services on campus and at our Nan and Howard Schow Emergency & Trauma Center. They also enjoy special recognition on our campus.
For more information about our Benefactor Circle, please contact Cathi Chadwell, executive director of philanthropy and public affairs, at (626) 397-3241.
Donor support allows Huntington Hospital to provide award‑winning, comprehensive orthopedic care. This includes total joint replacement surgery — helping to keep the San Gabriel Valley moving and enjoying life.
Visit huntingtonhealth.org/ortho to learn more about our renowned orthopedic care.
Helping care for her two young granddaughters is something that has always given Jeannie Baderscher immense joy. “After my husband died a few years ago,” she says, “it was especially important to me to be able to spend time with them.” However, when Jeannie started experiencing pain in her knees, it kept her from spending quality time with her little loves. She turned to Huntington Hospital for help.
Jeannie, who grew up in Pasadena, was a nurse for 45 years before retiring. She worked at several hospitals throughout her career, including Huntington. After all those years, there was no other hospital Jeannie trusted more than ours, so she made an appointment with Todd Dietrick, MD, medical director of our joint replacement program, who also practices with Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics at Huntington, formerly Congress Orthopaedic Associates Inc. “I knew Dr. Dietrick has a stellar reputation in joint replacement and reconstructive arthritis surgery,” says Jeannie. “I just have so much confidence in him and the entire Huntington orthopedic surgery team.”
Dr. Dietrick recommended that Jeannie undergo knee replacement surgery. As Jeannie’s left knee was worse off, he decided to operate on that one first and give her time to recover before treating her other knee. A year later, in early 2024, Dr. Dietrick performed the procedure to replace Jeannie’s right knee. This time, he recommended that the surgery be performed robotically using the ROSA® Knee System. This advanced new technology assists surgeons in performing knee replacement surgery that is more precise and less invasive than the traditional method of manual total knee
arthroplasty — helping lead to faster healing times for patients. Jeannie was one of the first patients to undergo knee replacement surgery at Huntington Hospital using the ROSA robotic system. “I was up and about in a week and only really needed to use a walker intermittently for two to three weeks,” says Jeannie.
Jeannie notes that Dr. Dietrick took great care and explained the ROSA system in detail to her before the procedure. She also felt that it helped immensely that we offered a virtual class specifically for joint replacement surgery patients. Facilitated by Janet Mayeda, orthopedic joint coordinator, the class ensures patients know what to expect before, during and after their procedure. “Janet was so thorough in her explanations that I didn’t need to ask any questions,” says Jeannie. “She was very knowledgeable!”
Today, Jeannie is healed, pain-free and back to spending time doing the things that make her happy. She can even get on her knees to bathe and care for her beloved dog, a little Beagle named Sophie. Most importantly, she is once again able to take care of her now eight- and four-year-old granddaughters. “They are the shining light in my life,” she says.
Jeannie feels a strong admiration for Huntington Hospital and the team that cared for her. “I’m so grateful to them for helping me get back to doing what is most important to me. My quality of life is so much better than it was before I had knee surgery, and there really isn’t anything I can’t do now. I would never choose a hospital other than Huntington!”
Ralph Riffenburgh, MD, was a Renaissance man. Not only was he a renowned ophthalmologist who practiced for more than 50 years, but he was also a U.S. Navy officer who served as a hospital department head, a University of Southern California professor who did research on the eyes of shaken babies, a medical volunteer who voyaged to Vietnam and a San Bernardino County Sheriff Department pilot who searched for lost hikers in the mountains. He traveled the world and visited each of the seven continents — including Antarctica — in the short period of six months. His talents even expanded into the arts, and he became a mystery murder novelist and amateur scrimshander later in life. Above all, however, Dr. Riffenburgh was a dedicated champion of Huntington Hospital.
A modern-day da Vinci.
Every year, Dr. Riffenburgh made generous philanthropic contributions toward our work. Before he passed away in 2022, he also chose to join our Legacy Gift Society by including the hospital in his estate plan. Through this arrangement, he vowed to support our ability to offer quality care to family, friends and neighbors, into the future. “The quality of care at Huntington Hospital is excellent and the caliber of the medical staff is extremely high,” Dr. Riffenburgh said back in 2016. “To keep doing all the things it does and to stay a level ahead, the hospital needs community support. I want to ensure it remains at the highest level.”
To Dr. Riffenburgh, Huntington Hospital was more than a medical institution. It was the setting for his life story. He started working here as an intern in 1947, back when our emergency department only had one bed and
a gurney. When he performed cataract surgery, which was an inpatient procedure at the time, he would personally walk patients back to their rooms himself.
In Dr. Riffenburgh’s words, Huntington Hospital was a “wonderful place to work,” and he made many friends during his decades-long service. Working at the hospital was also ideal for his wife, Angelyn, who trained in the laboratory while he worked as an intern. In total, Dr. Riffenburgh served as a member of our medical staff for 60 years — a record that still stands to this day.
One of Dr. Riffenburgh’s three sons, Stephen Riffenburgh, MD, remembers the passion his father had for Huntington Hospital. “He was so strongly affiliated with the hospital,” says Stephen. “His whole persona revolved around him being a doctor here.” As such, Huntington Hospital was also a distinct part of
Stephen’s childhood. He fondly recalls how his father used to bring him to work and let him visit with our nurses while finishing rounds.
Years later, Stephen would follow in his father’s footsteps: He studied to be an orthopedic surgeon before going on to become a member of Huntington Hospital’s medical staff for the majority of his career. While he was practicing as a physician here, Stephen met his now-wife, Anne, who was doing social work in oncology and palliative care.
Today, Anne and Stephen are committed to carrying on Dr. Riffenburgh’s legacy of giving back to the community. Even though they are both officially retired from Huntington Hospital, they graciously continue to dedicate their time and effort to our institution. Stephen offers his expertise as an emeritus member of the hospital’s medical staff and donates blood here every few months. For her part, Anne reviews requests for Senior Care Network’s Senior Caring Fund and has traveled five times with the Phil Simon Clinic Tanzania Project to assist patients with HIV/AIDS and other medical or social issues.
Anne and Stephen donate more than just their time here. They recently made a personal gift to Huntington Hospital to fulfill Dr. Riffenburgh’s wishes. For them, making a contribution to the hospital was an easy decision. “Huntington has an established track record for taking care of people in our community,” Stephen says. “It is clearly the premier hospital in San Gabriel Valley. We have talented doctors in every field, from orthopedic surgery to breast cancer care to trauma.”
Anne wholeheartedly agrees and notes that giving local just makes sense. “Huntington is a hospital that people can rely on,” she says. “You can’t go wrong donating to the hospital in your backyard.”
As Dr. Riffenburgh said years ago, “Huntington Hospital is good for the community and vice versa: Thanks to the community’s support, the hospital remains a level ahead of others, with the highest quality of care.”
Read on to learn about just a few of the things happening at Huntington Health.
The historic affiliation of Huntington Hospital with CedarsSinai in 2020 represented a new chapter in medical care for Pasadena and the surrounding community, offering the best of both institutions to the people of the San Gabriel Valley and securing the future of local care for generations to come.
We are now expanding our campus to include a stateof-the-art medical pavilion, which will be the realization of this vision. It will serve as the first brick-and-mortar home for new and expanded clinical programs that combine the power of our compassionate, individualized approach to care with the breadth and depth of Cedars-Sinai’s award-winning expertise. The medical pavilion, which will be located on Fair Oaks Avenue in Pasadena, will be our first new building in more than 20 years.
Patients will no longer need to travel hours across Los Angeles for specialty consultations or treatment. The new facility will bring world-renowned cancer specialists, as well as expert cardiac, thoracic and vascular surgeons under one roof, enabling our patients to access best-in-class medical care while remaining close to home. It will also include an expanded infusion center to enable us to meet the needs of even more patients — right here in the San Gabriel Valley.
We look forward to providing additional updates as this work proceeds.
Nurse leaders at Huntington Hospital have a new opportunity to participate in a year-long program through the New and Emerging Nurse Leader Academy. Based on the American Organization of Nurse Leaders (AONL) nurse leadership curriculum, this immersive, evidence-based program will equip our nurse supervisors and managers with essential skills, effective communication techniques and strategic decision-making mastery to meet the current and future demands of health care.
The first Academy cohort includes our newest nurse managers and supervisors, and will run until February 2025. Academy students will be prepared to take and pass the highly sought-after Certified Nurse Manager and Leader (CNML) certification.
Community support helps us continue to deliver a higher caliber of care to thousands of patients in our region every year. This top-level care has received national recognition. Recently, Huntington Hospital was named by U.S. News & World Report as a 20242025 Best Hospital, ranking number 10 in California* and number five in Los Angeles.*
We also received national recognition in gastroenterology and GI surgery (#42) and earned ‘high performing’ designations in seven adult specialties, including cancer, diabetes and endocrinology, geriatrics, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedics, pulmonology and lung surgery, and urology.
In addition, Huntington Health was named ‘high performing’ in sixteen procedures and conditions, including spinal fusion, heart failure, colon cancer surgery, COPD, diabetes, gynecological cancer, heart attack, hip replacement, hip fracture, kidney failure, knee replacement, leukemia, lymphoma & myeloma, pneumonia, prostate cancer surgery, stroke and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).
*Two-way tie.
Huntington Health recently welcomed Jinhee Jeannie Nguyen, DNP, MBA, RN, NEA-BC, as our new chief nurse officer. Jinhee began her career in health care more than three decades ago as a staff nurse in the emergency and trauma center of Los Angeles General Medical Center, and from there went on to work as a clinical nurse specialist in the emergency department at The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center. She comes to us with extensive experience at Adventist Health Glendale Medical Center, where she advanced professionally over the last 20 years across roles in nursing and quality leadership.
“Jinhee’s passion for educational and leadership development has made her an ideal fit for this crucial role,” says Lori J. Morgan, MD, MBA, president and CEO. “We are excited to welcome Jinhee to our executive leadership team and look forward to her playing a key role in driving excellence in nursing practice and patient care.”
Donor support makes initiatives like Huntington Hospital’s Nurse Residency Training Program possible — helping new graduate nurses like Ethan Wang, RN, be the best caregivers they can be. Ethan, who volunteered at the hospital during high school, officially joined our nursing staff through our Nursing Residency Training Program earlier this year. We sat down with him recently to learn more about his journey to becoming a nurse, his role in our Station 45 telemetry unit and what he loves most about working at Huntington Hospital.
Q. Why did you decide to become a nurse?
A. In high school, each student was required to do 100 hours of community service. I started looking around for places to volunteer and found an opening at Huntington Hospital. For three years — from sophomore year until I graduated — I was here every Saturday. Seeing how friendly all the nurses were had a huge impact on me. They were all extremely kind and taught me so much, from how to use the charting system to how to interact with patients. It was then that I knew I wanted to pursue nursing as a career — and that I wanted to work at Huntington.
After high school, I went to nursing school at West Coast University, Ontario, and continued to volunteer at Huntington Hospital every other week. I took my licensing exam at the end of 2023, and earlier this year I was hired by the hospital as part of the Nurse Residency Training Program. I was actually born at Huntington Hospital, so working here feels like I have come full circle.
Q. What does your job as a Station 45 nurse entail?
A. Station 45 is the medical-surgical telemetry unit. Often, patients from our Nan and Howard Schow Emergency & Trauma Center are transferred to the unit for observation. We also receive patients after surgery before they are discharged home. We monitor vitals, administer medication and tend to our patients’ immediate needs. I like to say that we are the eyes and ears of the patients in our care because we must remain constantly vigilant and anticipatory of their needs.
Q. What is the Nurse Residency Training Program and why is it important?
A. The Nurse Residency Training Program helps new nursing graduates transition to independent practice. We take classes and get support from nursing leaders, which really solidifies our work. The Nurse Residency Training Program is so important because it helps ensure that caregivers like me have all the tools we need to provide the highest quality of care. I am grateful to donors in our community for making training opportunities like this possible.
Q. What does a day in your life look like?
A. My shift starts at 7 a.m., and I begin the morning by reading up on all my patients and checking in on them to see if anything requires immediate attention. I may also take inventory of medications we have on the unit.
Throughout the day, I continue to assess patients, take their vitals and educate them on how to manage their conditions. I administer medications and ensure they are given at their scheduled time. I also organize files and make sure all patient documentation is updated in our records system.
At 7 p.m., I give a report to the night nurse, and by 7:30 p.m. my shift is over. I usually try to go to the gym before heading home. After a busy day, I spend an hour or two relaxing and unwinding before getting a good night’s sleep.
Q. What do you enjoy most about your job?
A. With some jobs, you do the same thing every day, but, as a nurse, my work varies from shift to shift. I interact with so many different patients, who are each on their own health care journey. This means every day is different — and that makes it all the more interesting and enjoyable. My coworkers are also amazing. They are all so friendly, and we interact with each other with kindness, dignity and respect. It feels like a real cohesive team.
Most importantly, I am so lucky I get to work at Huntington Hospital — the best hospital in the San Gabriel Valley. I take pride in being a part of an institution that is not only on the cutting edge of medical innovation, but also cares so deeply about its patients and their well-being.
Would you like to say thank you in a special way to a nurse or other Huntington team member? Consider making a Grateful Hearts gift in gratitude. When you acknowledge a nurse, physician, staff member or volunteer by making a gift in their honor, he or she will be notified of your gift and provided with a special lapel pin. Visit https://giving.huntingtonhospital.com/ caregiver to learn more.
As a nonprofit institution, Huntington Hospital relies on charitable giving to remain a leader in providing trusted medical care in the Pasadena region. Support from our community helps us safeguard vital services — from care for babies born prematurely to nurse navigators who assist patients throughout their cancer journey to lifesaving trauma care services. However, delivering the highest level of exceptional health care does not come without cost. That is why we rely on philanthropic support from patients and community members to help us remain responsive to our region’s needs. By making a gift to our Huntington Annual Fund, you will provide unrestricted dollars that help bridge the gap between available revenue streams and the actual cost of care.
There are many ways your giving can make an immediate impact. Whether you choose to make an unrestricted gift, which gives us maximum flexibility to use funds where they are needed most, or designate your gift to a specific area of our work, you can provide an annual fund contribution in a number of ways.
Credit card. Visit https://giving.huntingtonhospital.com/donate to make a gift using a credit card on our safe and secure website.
Check. Make a check payable to Huntington Hospital and mail it to 100 W. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91105.
Matching gift. Many employers will match charitable contributions made by their employees to nonprofit organizations. Contact your employer to find out whether you can double, or even triple, your gift to Huntington Hospital!
Stocks and securities. A gift of appreciated stock, mutual funds or securities may qualify you for certain tax benefits. Please notify the office of philanthropy at (626) 397-3241 if you would like to transfer a gift of stock or visit https://giving.huntingtonhospital.com/how-to-give for detailed transmittal and wire instructions.
Grateful Hearts. Say thank you for excellent care you or a loved one received while a patient at Huntington Hospital by making a gift in honor of one of our dedicated and compassionate team members. When you acknowledge a special physician, nurse, staff member or volunteer, he or she will be notified of your Grateful Hearts gift and provided with a special lapel pin. Visit https://giving.huntingtonhospital.com/caregiver to learn more.
Huntington Sustainers. These donors make monthly, recurring gifts to the hospital via credit card. As little as $10 a month adds up to dependable support and helps protect and enhance our community’s health and well-being with high-quality, lifesaving care. Visit https://giving.huntingtonhospital.com/monthly to join Huntington Sustainers.
For more information about the many other ways you can help support our greatest needs, please contact the office of philanthropy at (626) 397-3241 or email give@huntingtonhealth.org.
Huntington Hospital is home to the largest emergency department in Pasadena and a Level II trauma center. Philanthropic contributions allow us to maintain and further enhance the lifesaving care we provide for patients like Wendy Sanchez Rodriquez and Jonathan Barba, when time is of the essence.
On Easter Sunday 2022, Wendy Sanchez Rodriquez and Jonathan Barba went for a drive along the Angeles Crest Highway when something went wrong — terribly wrong. “What happened next is like a blur,” says Wendy, but one thing was certain: The couple had been in a serious car accident — and their lives hung in the balance. Everything happened so fast. Wendy remembers another vehicle almost on top of their car. Paramedics came to the rescue, and Wendy and Jonathan were rushed to Huntington Hospital Trauma Center in a medevac helicopter. They both had life-threatening injuries, including stomach and intestinal damage and many broken bones.
“My next memory is of the bright lights of the operating room and asking for my husband,” says Wendy. Both she and Jonathan underwent extensive surgeries to repair damage to their bones, muscles and organs. Combined, they spent about a month in our critical care unit, before moving to one of our medical-surgical units. “Our doctors said they hadn’t seen a case as bad as us ever before,” says Wendy. “We’re very lucky to be alive!”
While they were facing the long road to recovery from this traumatic accident, Wendy and Jonathan knew they were in good hands, thanks to care from Huntington Health-affiliated physicians Andrew Singleton, MD; Amal ObaidSchmid, MD, medical director of trauma services; Sanjeev Puri, MD; Ian Ross, MD; Edward Kwon, MD; and many others. “The doctors would check in with us each and
Visit huntingtonhealth.org/trauma to learn about our lifesaving trauma care.
every day, and it made us feel like they really cared,” says Jonathan.
After a lengthy hospital stay, the couple was finally ready to return home and begin their long journey to healing. “The recovery process has been difficult,” says Jonathan. “We’ve been fortunate to have had help and support from our family every step of the way.”
Today, Wendy and Jonathan are immensely grateful to be alive — even in the face of ongoing health challenges. At this stage of their recovery, Wendy’s back is still sore, and she limps from time to time. Jonathan’s scars have healed, but he still experiences knee pain. They both attend physical therapy and are walking more and more every day.
Wendy and Jonathan are both looking forward to getting back to work — and to planning new adventures. “We want to start travelling more and doing things we normally wouldn’t do,” Wendy says. “Before, we would always put off vacations due to work, but the accident gave us the motivation to just go ahead and schedule trips and be open to new opportunities.”
While they do not remember many of the details of what happened that day, they do remember the quality of care they received at Huntington Hospital. “Huntington saved our lives,” says Wendy. “Telling our story is our way of saying thank you and paying back what they did for us. If anything were to happen to us in the future, it’s where we would want to go. I know we’re in good hands with Huntington Hospital.”
Each year, annual fund donors providing gifts of $2,000 or more are welcomed into our leadership society — the President’s Circle of Huntington Hospital. We are pleased to thank these generous supporters with a variety of special recognition opportunities. President’s Circle donors provide approximately 80% of annual fund dollars raised by the hospital and we are particularly grateful for their contributions.
For questions regarding the President’s Circle of Huntington Hospital, please contact Lia Peterson Miller, senior director of donor engagement and communications, at (626) 397-3241.
FRIEND
$2,000-4,999
• Annual complimentary hospital self-parking in the North and East parking structures.
• Discount at our S. Robert and Denise Zeilstra Gift Shop and in the Bistro Café.
• Invitation to the President’s Circle Recognition event.
• Complimentary flu shots each fall, as available.
ASSOCIATE $5,000-9,999
All of the above PLUS:
• Annual complimentary valet parking on our campus.
• Annual recognition on the President’s Circle donor wall in our main lobby.
MEDICUS SOCIETY $10,000-24,999
All of the above PLUS:
• Invitations to additional President’s Circle events with Huntington leadership.
• Invitation to special behind-the-scenes tours of Huntington Hospital, as available.
COLLEAGUE $25,000-49,999
All of the above PLUS:
• Personalized stewardship report on the use of your funds each year.
PATRON
$50,000-99,999
All of the above PLUS:
• Invitations to small group gatherings with Huntington leadership.
• Access to an estate planning specialist who can help you explore and weigh the benefits of estate planning.
GOLD
$100,000-$249,999
All of the above PLUS:
• Opportunity to meet personally with Huntington leadership to learn about the impact of your support.
• Access to a patient relations representative during your hospital stay, as needed.
• Additional recognition opportunities on our campus, as available.
In the tapestry of Kimberly and Curt Jacobsen’s lives, Huntington Hospital emerges as a vital thread — stitching together critical moments of resilience and gratitude. As both donors and patients, the Jacobsens are well versed in our comprehensive range of health care services. “Huntington Hospital is unlike any other hospital we have ever encountered,” Curt shares. “We have witnessed the hospital’s dedication to personalized care firsthand. Because of that, we feel an obligation and responsibility to support it.”
A testament to exceptional care.
Kimberly Shriner, MD, infectious disease specialist and medical director of infection prevention and control, personifies highquality care. For years, Curt Jacobsen’s respiratory problems went undiagnosed, but Dr. Shriner helped him get the procedure he needed to heal.
“We need the hospital to be strong and capable so they can have the resources to care for us and others in the community,” Kimberly adds. To help us do so, the couple play an active role in ensuring we can provide others with the same exceptional care that has transformed their own lives.
Curt and Kimberly, natives of Denver and Los Angeles, respectively, have called the Pasadena area home since 2009. Their paths originally converged in Texas, where they were consultants at the same company. Kimberly has since shifted her focus to raising their two sons, Simon and Henry. As a consultant for most of his career, Curt is now a partner at McKinsey & Company, where he helps businesses use technology to accelerate growth.
The Jacobsens seek adventure and relaxation in equal measure. Scenic bike rides, skiing trips and culinary explorations are just a few of the family’s favorite activities. Passionate about exploring new places and cities, Curt and Kimberly even lived abroad for several years.
While these exciting adventures are now a natural part of their lives, traveling and enjoying all that life has to offer was not always so simple. Curt spent a significant amount of his life battling respiratory issues, including recurring bronchitis and pneumonia infections. In fact, he estimates that 60% of his childhood was spent coughing. In adulthood, Curt’s respiratory issues seemed to only worsen.
In 2017, Curt became so sick that he required a visit to our Nan and Howard Schow Emergency & Trauma Center. There, he was treated by infectious disease specialist Kimberly Shriner, MD, medical director of infection prevention and control. “Dr. Shriner was the first person who really listened to me,” Curt says. “I would tell people I’ve had pneumonia several times, or I cough constantly, and they wouldn’t believe me. But, when I told her, she paused, listened and acted.” Dr. Shriner ordered a CT scan, which ultimately revealed a rare lung abnormality. Curt needed cardiothoracic surgery to treat the condition.
While both Kimberly and Curt recall the stress and anticipation of that day, they also remember Robbin Cohen, MD, director of the Cedars-Sinai Cardiac Surgery Program at Huntington Health, who led the team that removed a portion of Curt’s lung and patched the remaining hole in his aorta. “I’ll always be grateful to Dr. Cohen and his team,” Curt shares. “The surgery was truly life changing for me and my family.”
Beyond Curt’s surgery, Huntington Hospital has often been the go-to haven for their family’s care. “When it was time for me to deliver our children, it was a no-brainer to choose Huntington, and Dr. Melissa Grier took excellent care of us,” Kimberly says. In her second pregnancy, Kimberly was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and participated in our Perinatal Diabetes Program, which offers free classes and one-on-one support for expecting mothers. “They were such cheerleaders for me,” Kimberly says. “I’m so thankful that the program existed to support me through a healthy pregnancy.”
Curt and Kimberly support Huntington Hospital as a way to show their gratitude and to ensure the hospital can continue to provide the same quality of care to others in the community. “At first, we made gifts in honor of the nurses and caregivers that helped take care of me after surgery,” Curt says. “Later, it occurred to us that we should do more. We have been annual President’s Circle donors ever since.”
In addition to their personal contributions, the couple also takes advantage of a matching gift program offered by Curt’s employer. “Many companies like mine offer to match charitable gifts to the philanthropic causes that their employees care about,” says Curt, “but often people aren’t aware that it’s an option. I always encourage friends and colleagues to ask their employer if they offer this kind of program.”
As she reflects on their relationship with Huntington, Kimberly shares, “We have underestimated how much Huntington Hospital is woven through the fabric of our lives. Our relationship with the hospital is so special and we truly cherish it.”
Many companies offer matching gift programs. By notifying your employer’s human resources department of your donation, you can effectively double the value of your gift to Huntington Hospital. Check with your employer to initiate the matching gift process.
Philanthropic support from our community helps us meet the medical needs of our patients, and we are deeply grateful. Each year, gifts made through our Huntington Annual Fund help strengthen the hospital and allow us to achieve our goals. President’s Circle donors play an especially pivotal role, providing unrestricted support that touches every area of our campus — and is critical to filling the gap when unforeseen expenses arise. Here are just a few of the ways you help make a difference when you make a President’s Circle gift:
Huntington Hospital is home to the largest emergency department in the San Gabriel Valley and a Level II trauma center. With your contributions, we continue to provide superior, lifesaving care, around the clock.
Our Helen and Will Webster Heart & Vascular Center, made possible with gifts from our community, offers a full spectrum of cardiac services to help us heal more hearts.
Philanthropic support helps us upgrade technology and maintain premier facilities to further enhance patient outcomes.
Huntington Hospital is designated as a Comprehensive Stroke Center — signaling the highest and best standard in stroke care.
I’m so grateful to President’s Circle donors for choosing to support Huntington Hospital at a leadership level. It is only because of such support that we are able to ensure the highest-quality medical care for you, your friends and your family.
R. SCOTT JENKINS
PHILANTHROPY COMMITTEE CHAIR
We offer a variety of health education and outreach services in the community, including diabetes-related education, resources and support.
Your giving allows us to go above and beyond by providing a variety of supportive services for our patients and their families, including Pet-Assisted Therapy and spiritual care.
Thanks to the support of our community, our new and upgraded surgery center is allowing us to further improve outcomes for surgery patients. It includes 15 surgery suites used for general surgery, as well as neurology, trauma, orthopedic and other complex procedures.
We encourage you to step up to do good by making a President’s Circle gift today. For more information about recognition associated with this giving level, please see page 23. To learn more about President’s Circle, please contact Lia Peterson Miller in the office of philanthropy at (626) 397-3241. You may also visit https://giving.huntingtonhospital.com/presidentscircle-giving for more information.
In 2018, Alex Durairaj, MD, medical director of cardiovascular services (left), and cardiologist Mayer Rashtian, MD, (right) performed the first WATCHMAN procedure in the San Gabriel Valley right here at Huntington Hospital. Since then, our cardiovascular team has performed 500 WATCHMAN procedures and counting.
Philanthropic contributions help ensure Huntington Hospital is able to remain at the forefront of care. As an example, in 2018, a patient with AFib received the first WATCHMAN™ Left Atrial Appendage Closure (LAAC) implant in the San Gabriel Valley at our hospital. Since then, our cardiovascular services team has performed 500 WATCHMAN procedures and counting.
An estimated 6 million Americans are affected by atrial fibrillation (AFib), an irregular heartbeat that can cause a blood clot to form in the heart — and lead to a stroke. Some patients take blood-thinning medication to lower the risk of a stroke. However, this treatment is not sustainable and safe for patients who have a risk of bleeding or are prone to falls. For those patients, the WATCHMAN device is an alternative that can stop stroke-causing blood clots from forming in the heart.
Approximately 90% of blood clots that form due to AFib occur in the left atrial appendage (LAA), a blind pouch in the left upper chamber of the heart. The WATCHMAN device closes off the heart’s LAA, preventing blood clots from forming and reducing the risk of a stroke. As a result, most patients get the green light to stop taking blood thinners in as little as six weeks.
Placement of the WATCHMAN is a onetime procedure performed under general anesthesia, which takes about an hour. It comes compressed within a small tube. This allows it to be inserted via a large IV in the upper leg. It is then advanced following the blood vessel into the heart. Once the WATCHMAN arrives at the LAA, it opens like an umbrella and is permanently implanted to block blood clots. Patients commonly leave the hospital the same evening or sometimes the next day.
“Only 10 years ago, we had to rely solely on powerful blood thinners to reduce the risk of stroke with atrial fibrillation,” says Azhil (Alex) Durairaj, MD, Huntington Health’s medical director of cardiovascular services. “Now, thanks to the hard work and dedication of our caregivers and staff at the Helen and Will Webster Heart & Vascular Center, we are able to provide another option for lifesaving care to help lower the risk of stroke.”
Talk to your cardiologist if you would like to learn more about the WATCHMAN device. You may also visit huntingtonhealth.org/heart for additional information about our expert cardiac care.
For 40 years, Senior Care Network (SCN) has worked to help improve the lives of local seniors, adults with disabilities and family caregivers. Its services are made possible thanks to proceeds from Huntington Collection, along with gifts from generous philanthropic donors. Manling Wu and her daughter, Emily Lin, are among the many community members who have benefited from SCN’s services.
Visit huntingtonhealth.org/SCN to learn more about our nationally recognized program that has helped older adults, adults with disabilities and their families, remain healthy and independent since 1984.
Thanks to Senior Care Network, Emily Lin (right) now has the education and support she needs to be an effective caregiver for her mother, Manling Wu.
In 2022, Manling Wu was struggling. At the time, she was 84, coping with Parkinson’s disease and living in Monterey Park with her daughter, Emily Lin, and son-in-law, Wai Li. As Manling’s symptoms continued to worsen, she began to experience life-threatening complications, including trouble swallowing. Eventually, Manling was admitted to the hospital. She underwent a tracheostomy to help her breathe and had a gastrostomy tube inserted to deliver nutrition directly to her stomach. When she was ready to be released, Manling was transferred to a nursing home to receive extra care.
In the months that followed, Manling’s health continued to deteriorate. Soon, she was unable to walk or talk. At the same time, her family was not able to visit due to COVID-19 restrictions — and they were becoming increasingly anxious, wondering how they would care for Manling when she returned home. “I desperately wanted my mom to be surrounded by family,” says Emily, “so I started looking for services to support me in caring for her at home. That’s when I found Huntington Health’s Senior Care Network.”
Through SCN, Emily was able to get her mother enrolled in the Multipurpose
Senior Services Program (MSSP). MSSP provides care coordination services to seniors on Medi-Cal whose physical or cognitive impairments put them at risk of nursing home placement. “MSSP can be a lifeline for older adults and their caregivers,” says Eileen Koons, director of SCN. “Services include education and support for family members, help navigating health care plan benefits, referrals to community resources and more.”
For more than two years now, Manling has been receiving support services through MSSP. “My mom’s social worker calls at least once a month and visits us at home every three months,” says Emily. “She connects us to helpful resources and gives me a sense of comfort and care. Each time she’s here, she helps me problem solve and addresses my concerns.”
Today, Manling continues to live safely at home while getting the care she needs. Emily shares how SCN and MSSP have impacted her life: “Before I was connected to SCN, I felt overwhelmed in the face of my mom’s health needs. Now, I feel confident in providing care for my mother because we have support. I don’t know what I would do without SCN, and I’m so grateful!”
Huntington Hospital’s Legacy Gift Society (LGS) recognizes those who want to provide for the future. Thoughtful and foresighted bequests and other planned gifts from LGS donors help leave a legacy of excellent health care.
Gift planning.
Legacy Gift Society donors use different strategies, but the outcome is the same: impacting the future through philanthropy. Many establish a charitable bequest by including the hospital in their will or living trust. Some LGS donors have named us as a beneficiary for a percentage of their retirement plans, including IRAs, 401ks and 403bs. Others take advantage of important income and tax benefits by establishing a Charitable Gift Annuity or Charitable Reminder Trust. These types of gifts allow the donor to receive income for life and leave a gift to the hospital at the end.
We invite you to join other Legacy Gift Society donors in providing for the future of care at Huntington Hospital. We are pleased to offer a variety of special recognition opportunities:
• Invitation to the annual Legacy Gift Society appreciation luncheon.
• Invitations to select events including our annual flu shot clinic.
• Special publications and communications from the hospital.
• Gift planning information from Huntington Hospital’s office of philanthropy.
We hope that you will consider joining this distinguished group of committed donors. Please visit huntingtonhealth.org/giftplanning to learn more. Many thanks for your support.
Many donors give to Huntington Hospital using tax-saving strategies. Here are just a few of the ways:
When you make Huntington Hospital the direct recipient of a distribution from your IRA, you may be able to avoid paying income tax on the amount gifted. You also are helping to keep us strong.
By gifting appreciated stock, you can avoid taxes on any gains in the stock’s value, and take an income tax deduction on the fair market value — all while making a thoughtful gift to our work.
Establishing a DAF through a community foundation or a financial institution gives you a significant tax benefit when you make a large gift. You can designate Huntington Hospital as a recipient of the funding from your DAF each year.
If you would like to learn more about how you can save taxes and support our critical mission, please contact Helen Bechtolt, senior director of principal gifts, at helen.bechtolt@ huntingtonhealth.org or (626) 397-3241.
As soon as Susan and Ed Johnson moved to the San Gabriel Valley in 1984, they knew Huntington Hospital was a special place. “Everyone that we talked to told us there is this incredible asset not far away,” Susan says. “Huntington is a rare and wonderful institution.”
Susan and Ed are longtime members of the President’s Circle of Huntington Hospital and have been making annual gifts in support of our work for more than a decade. The couple also recently decided to remember the hospital in their estate plan. “I’m surprised at how many people don’t make planned gifts,” says Ed. “It’s easy to do, and they are such a powerful way to recognize an organization you care about.”
Ed and Susan Johnson, longtime President’s Circle donors, recently decided to include the hospital in their estate. The couple have chosen to support Huntington in part because of our extensive community outreach efforts to engage and serve the people of the San Gabriel Valley beyond the hospital’s walls.
From San Francisco to the San Gabriel Valley. Although they now call La Cañada Flintridge their home, Ed and Susan originally met a few hundred miles north in San Francisco. Susan, who grew up in Santa Clara, went to San Jose State University, while Ed, who grew up in New Jersey and went to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, trekked across the country to get his Master of Business Administration from Stanford University.
After Ed and Susan graduated, they both took jobs at the consulting firm McKinsey & Company in San Francisco, where they met. By 1972, they were married, and they soon welcomed their daughter, Kerstin.
In 1984, after living on the East Coast, the couple moved to Southern California. Ed served as the senior vice president and sector executive of the Times Mirror Company, the parent company of the Los Angeles Times and other news publications across the U.S. In this role, Ed managed the company’s professional information and book publishing sector.
Continuing the cycle of giving.
Eventually, Ed and Susan decided to focus their efforts on helping others full time. In 1996, Ed left Times Mirror Company and started an angel investing firm to help fund companies innovating new technology in the educational sector.
Meanwhile, Susan was very involved in the local community. When their daughter, Kerstin, was in elementary school, Susan was an active member of the Parent Teacher Association there, where she volunteered for the Red Ribbon Week and “Just Say No” campaigns. She became a founding board member of the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center in Pasadena, which opened in 1990.
As first-generation college graduates who received financial aid, Ed and Susan recognize the importance of paying it forward. “Our mothers didn’t even finish high school,” Ed says. “But we received terrific financial support. That’s part of the reason we give back to the universities we attended, Huntington Hospital and other institutions in the San Gabriel Valley.”
For Ed and Susan, being in a fortunate position means they have a responsibility to pay it forward. “We’re sitting in a position now where we don’t need to leave all our assets within the family,” says Susan. Kerstin, who is thoroughly involved in their giving plans, strongly agrees. The family has committed to supporting establishments that have helped them or may help them in the future — from Kerstin’s former prep school to the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Descanso Gardens (where Ed volunteers every week) to Huntington Hospital.
Firsthand experience.
As a patient at Huntington Hospital himself, Ed knows firsthand the high quality of care we provide. When Ed had an outpatient surgery here, he was particularly impressed with the caliber of our facilities. “It was like checking into a Four Seasons Hotel!” he says. In addition, last year, he visited our Nan and Howard Schow Emergency & Trauma Center with a health concern. Thankfully, his issue was non-life-threatening, but he and Susan were incredibly grateful they could rely on Huntington Hospital. “I couldn’t believe how rapidly and completely they responded to me,” Ed says. “It was way beyond my expectations.”
The couple especially admires how engaged the hospital is with the local community. Ed and Susan recently saw a Huntington Hospital booth at a local farmer’s market, where our community outreach nurses were talking to passersby about the hospital’s services. “At least once a week,” says Susan, “Huntington Hospital is out in the community. They reach out to patients that may not otherwise have access to care. It’s very impressive.”
For those who have the means to do so, Ed and Susan believe highly in the value of making a planned gift. “Huntington does so much for the community,” says Susan. “We need to come together and support it.”
“Huntington does so much for the community, we need to come together and support it.’
A67-year San Gabriel Valley resident, Rosemary “Rary” Bernheim Simmons, passed away on Thanksgiving Day in 2023. During her lifetime, Rary served on the boards of numerous local organizations — including Huntington Hospital — and always led with a passion for serving her community.
In 1953, Rary graduated with a degree in psychology from Occidental College. During the summer of 1948, she met Frank Simmons on Balboa Island, and they were married on June 6, 1952, in Beverly Hills. They settled in San Marino in 1954 — at which time they started their family and their shared lifelong commitment to their community.
Rary was selected to fill a vacancy on the San Marino City Council in 1982. She was the first woman council member and, in 1986, became San Marino’s first woman mayor. In 1992, she was asked to join the board of Huntington Hospital, and ultimately became the hospital’s first emeritus board member. She also served as the chair of our philanthropy committee for many years — helping to raise millions toward our comprehensive array of services. During her lifetime, Rary was a generous Huntington Hospital donor herself. In addition, she made a significant contribution to the hospital through her estate.
“When Rary was committed to something, she gave it her all,” says Lori J. Morgan, MD, MBA, president and CEO. “That dedication extended to Huntington Hospital, and we will forever be grateful for her commitment to our work.”
In addition to her service to Huntington Hospital, Rary was an emerita member on the Occidental College Board of Trustees for nearly three decades. Among her favorite volunteer jobs was the opportunity to serve as schedule person for the volunteers at the L.A. Coliseum Hospitality tent during the 1984 Olympics. Numerous additional board and advisory committee roles round out her resume, including those at Cancer Support Community, San Marino’s Hill-Harbison House, Hathaway-Sycamores Child & Family Services and Hillsides.
Rary was preceded in death by her son, Eric “Ricky,” and her husband, Frank. She is survived by her brother Bernard Bernheim, her five children Frank, Greg, Bart, Ann and Evelyn, and six grandchildren.
We are deeply grateful for Rary’s invaluable contributions to Huntington Hospital. Our community will miss the presence of her positive, charitable spirit.
Please visit https://giving.huntingtonhospital.com/donate if you would like to make a gift to Huntington Hospital to honor the memory of a loved one.
Anonymous
Mary A. Adame
Arden L. Albee, PhD
Mrs. Carolyn Alexander
Suzan King & Stephen R. Allen
Grace Ray Anderson
Peter Arkley
W. Jefferson Arnett
Salpi Avedian
Bernard H. Babcock
Jim & Nancy Barthe
Sally Beckham
Jon E. Beebe
Mr. & Mrs. David W. Bianchi
Alison J. Birnie, RN
Neena Bixby
Jenifer Paul Bode
Robert & Vicki Bond
Mr. Paul Bonner
Mrs. Ann Boutin
Gretchen & Jack Brickson
Mr. & Mrs. Daniel M.
Brigham, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. James G. Bruni
Marcia & James Burnett
Karen & Thomas Capehart
Emiko & Eugene Chan
Sarojni & Suresh Chandra
John Y. Chang
Leilani Chu
Angelica & David Clark
Alicia & Edward Clark
Doris Young Coates
Donald Cobleigh
Martha Coffey
Elizabeth A. Collins
Sherrill & Paul Colony
Mr. James G. Corry
Meg Quinn Coulter
Georgia Coye
Diane Coyer
Edwin W. Cridland
Mrs. Linda Cseak
Cam Currier
Kai & Elizabeth Lem
Tom & Nancy Delahooke
R-lene Mijares deLang
Frank & Risa DeQuatro
Mr. & Mrs. John E. DeWitt
Thomas Donnelly
Wendy & Jim Drasdo
Ann C. Edler
Ida Krull Elby
Claudia & Douglas Forbes
Haley & Anita Fromholz
Judy Gain
Lucy H. Gao
Donald J. Gaspard, MD
Anh T. Giang
Arno E. Grether
Barbara & William Hanna
Mark S. Harmsen
Gary & Priscilla Hoecker
Michael Horner
Jagath K. Jayaratne
Cindy & Scott Jenkins
Susan & Ed Johnson
Moon J. Kang
Francine H. Katz
Dr. Shant Kazazian
Rozlyn Y. Kelly-Jackson & Michael Jackson
Lorraine (Shingu) Koyama
Mitokawa-Kunitake Family
Jacqueline & William Landy
Chi Wai Leung Siu
T. June & Simon K.C. Li
Elvira Magianto
Marilyn A. Mallow
Margot F. Malouf
Jeanette & James Mamakos
Mr. & Mrs. Richard T. Mandeville
Ilene Marshall
Craig & Diane Martin
Ms. Randi M. Martin
Lois S. & Phillip D. Matthews
Dolores McClenney
The McCreight Foundation
Kathy & Jim Meagher
Jeanne Mignard
Arlene & Allan Miller Family
Diana & Charles Minning
Kazuko & Takeyuki Miyauchi
Victoria Stover Mordecai & Alfred Winborne Mordecai
Rena B. Morris
The Mothershead Family
Diane & John Mullin
Fumiko & Yoshiaki Murakami
Keith & Susie Lee Nakao
Philip D. Nathanson
Mei-Lee Ney
Elsa Ng
Joyce Nores
Pong Yang Sun & Kwang Paek
Terry Perucca & Annette Serrurier
Mr. & Mrs. John W. Pring
Ms. Frances L. Quan
Carol Reynolds
Rufus V. Rhoades
Susan Peterson Rhoades
Susan & Donald Riechel
Robert W. & Lillian O. Rogers
Kate L. Rose
Walter Rose
Shirley A. Rosenkranz
Elsie Sadler
George S. Sahagian
The SahanDaywi Foundation
Marcia & Elliot Sainer
Irene N. Sang
Mrs. Mary L. Schander
The Schow Foundation
Cathleen & Barry Sedlik
Terry Seidler
Gerald R. Selby
Roger Servick
Shobha & Robby Sharma
Rod Shingu
Tadashi Shoji
Richard P. Shooshan
Mona & Randy Shulman
Dr. Robert Siew & Mr. Mark Hafeman
W. June Simmons
Annie C. Siu, DDS
Claire Slaught
Marsha R. Stanton
Dr. David Stevenson, DDS
Cecil & Jin Sun
Ren Min Sun
Dr. & Mrs. David A. Swan
John D. Taylor
Patricia Thomas
Johnny Ting
Martha Tolles
Ruth & Miles Turpin
Carmen Villasenor
Phuc T. Vo
Elizabeth Walker
Janet & John Webb
Mary & James Weidner
Dan Weiss
Yuen Wong
Chi Yip
Henry & Margaret Yost
Jesse Jian Yi Yuan & Cui Xian Zeng
Denise Zeilstra
As of August 1, 2024
Legacy Gift Society (LGS) donors help provide for the future of care at Huntington Hospital. Many LGS donors have remembered the hospital in their will or living trust.
Thank you to our invaluable guilds.
Huntington Hospital is grateful to our guilds for their generosity, now and always.
Proceeds from the Flintridge La Cañada Guild’s 102nd annual Horse Show are helping us purchase important equipment for use in our neonatal intensive care unit.
The Flintridge La Cañada Guild held its 102nd annual Horse Show at the Flintridge Riding Club in La Cañada Flintridge from Thursday, April 26, to Sunday, April 28, 2024. The four-day show featured exciting competition, entertainment, food and fun.
Funds raised from this year’s horse show are helping us purchase a state-of-the-art GE Giraffe OmniBed Carestation for use in our Level IIIB neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The OmniBed is an infant incubator and a radiant warmer rolled into one. It creates a controlled, protected microenvironment so babies in the NICU can experience peaceful, fast healing.
Email flintridgehorseshow@gmail.com for more information about the Flintridge La Cañada Guild.
The Altadena Guild’s 71st annual Home Tour, Poppies on Meadowbook Road, was held on May 5, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Guests enjoyed a tour of some of the beautiful homes and gardens in this neighborhood. They also enjoyed refreshments, live music and shopping set up along the tour route.
Proceeds from the event are helping the guild fulfill a generous pledge designated toward our new surgery center, which features new and upgraded surgical suites. See page 6 to learn more about our state-of-theart surgical facilities.
Visit altadenaguild.org for more information about joining the Altadena Guild and future events.
Altadena Guild members recently presented us with a check for the proceeds from the 71st annual Home & Garden Tour. The guild’s support has helped us add new and upgraded surgical spaces, like the one pictured below.
$161.5 million in community benefits provided in 2023
Above and beyond health care services.
Hospital discharge support.
Beyond our walls.
1,681 community members received complimentary flu shots.
802 people received transportation assistance in the form of bus tokens and cab fares.
357 new moms received lactation support post-discharge.
78 patients received free or discounted prescription medications.
1,232 people received free health screenings and counseling.
414 patients participated in cancer support groups.
Support for older adults.
2,820 callers benefited from Senior Care Network’s Resource Center support and referrals.
549
older community members participated in a virtual educational lecture series.
507
seniors received help to continue living safely in their homes.
Health education and training programs.
1,095 residents, interns and nursing students received education and training.
2,572 community members received free Fentanyl and Narcan education.
251 people attended a six-week diabetes education series.
Philanthropic support from our community helps to ensure moms and their babies have access to Huntington Health’s expert, personalized care. This includes excellent labor and delivery services, specialized support for women with high‑risk pregnancies and an advanced neonatal intensive care unit for newborns born prematurely or with serious medical needs.
Pregnant with their first child while also settling into a new house and hometown, Lisa and Michael Brown were excited about the next phase of their life, which would expand their family of two to three. As new Pasadeneans, the couple knew choosing where to give birth was an important decision. When one of Lisa’s trusted colleagues highly recommended the Family Birth Center at Huntington Hospital, Lisa and Michael immediately knew they found the right place to have their baby. “I wanted a clean, comforting and welcoming environment and the best doctors and nurses,” says Lisa. “Huntington Hospital was exactly what we wanted and needed.”
The couple soon made an appointment with Huntington Health-affiliated OB-GYN Eleanor Leung, MD, who monitored Lisa throughout her pregnancy. During a routine appointment at 36 weeks, Lisa mentioned to Dr. Leung that her hands were excessively itchy. Recognizing that this could be a sign of cholestasis, a potentially serious condition in which the flow of bile from the liver stops or slows, Dr. Leung recommended that Lisa be admitted to Huntington Hospital immediately so labor could be induced.
Lisa spent the next several days here and underwent multiple interventions to help progress labor. However, when she was still not fully dilated and had developed a fever, Huntington Healthaffiliated OB-GYN Helen Huynh, DO, decided that for the health of her and her baby, it was necessary that Lisa have a cesarean section. Dr. Huynh performed the surgery and safely delivered baby
Visit huntingtonhealth.org/baby to learn more about our family-centered care for moms and their babies.
Jade, who was then taken to our Level IIIB neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for extra care. Jade’s temperature was slightly elevated, and she needed antibiotics. “I was so sad I couldn’t immediately be with Jade,” Lisa says, “but I knew it was the safest place for her.”
While Jade was in the NICU, nurses helped Lisa recuperate and regain her strength, and prepared her to breastfeed. “The Huntington nursing team was really great while I was recovering,” says Lisa. “Every single nurse helped and supported me. They showed me how to hand express to collect colostrum to send to Jade, who was in the NICU for two days. Once Jade was able to be with me in the room, they showed me how to have her latch, too.”
Lisa’s family also felt safe and comforted here during Jade’s birth. In fact, Grandma Million Heir-Williams, who was close by throughout labor, delivery and recovery, notes she was very pleased with the family’s overall experience. “I don’t think Huntington Hospital could have done anything differently in what we experienced as a family,” says Million. “From the valet and gift shop employees to the volunteers at the front desk and the security guards, each person made us feel welcome and cared for.”
Today, baby Jade has doubled her weight from six pounds at birth to 12 pounds and is healthy as can be. Lisa says she knew she made the right choice to give birth at Huntington Hospital. “I was impressed by the level of compassion and personalized care, and did not feel like just a number there,” she says. “We wanted to choose the best hospital and we certainly did.”
We are committed to providing you with compassionate care regardless of the language you speak.
Huntington Health complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability or sex.
Huntington Health is committed to improving the environment. Advocate has been printed entirely on Forest Stewardship Council‑certified paper. FSC certification ensures that the paper used contains fibers from well managed and responsibly harvested forests that adhere to strict environmental and socioeconomic standards. We are proud to make this significant move to help our environment.
Board of Directors
Wafaa Alrashid, MD, President Elect, Medical Staff, Ex Officio
Sharon Arthofer
Erin Baker
Wayne Brandt, Treasurer
Michelle Quinones Chino, Secretary
Akila Gibbs
Ronald L. Havner, Jr.
Christopher Hedley, MD
R. Scott Jenkins
Paul Johnson, Chair
David Kirchheimer
Pete Kutzer
Brandon Lew, DO, Past President, Medical Staff
M. Christian Mitchell
Lori J. Morgan, MD, MBA
Daniel Murray
Mei-Lee Ney
Elizabeth Graham Olson
Thomas Priselac, Ex Officio, Voting
Peter Rosenberg, MD, President, Medical Staff
Jaynie Studenmund
Deborah Williams
David Wrigley, Ex Officio, Voting
Renée Ying
President and CEO
Lori J. Morgan, MD, MBA
Philanthropy Committee
R. Scott Jenkins, Chair
Sharon Arthofer
Wayne Brandt
Ronald Havner, Jr.
Lori J. Morgan, MD, MBA
Kathleen Podley
Renée Ying
Senior Vice President of Philanthropy and Public Relations
Jane Haderlein
Office of Philanthropy and Communications
Mark Anello, Senior Director of Development Services and Strategic Planning
Helen Bechtolt, Senior Director of Principal Gifts
Jamie Brady-Smith, Manager of Donor Relations and Special Events
Cathi Chadwell, Executive Director of Philanthropy and Public Affairs
Stephanie Cianci, Associate Director of Marketing
Marie Cleaves, Director of Major Gifts
Lia Peterson Miller, Senior Director of Donor Engagement and Communications
Eileen Neuwirth, Executive Director of Communications and Brand Strategy
Editors Cathi Chadwell
Stephanie Cianci
Lia Peterson Miller
Writer/Editor Sheikh/Impact
Principal Photography
Design
Shane Karns Photography
Terry Griest
Printing Impress Communications
