Hoag's Wellness Push on Display in Foothill Ranch
Hoag Hospital plans to roll out one of the region’s largest and most ambitious preventive health and wellness centers early next year at a new location in Foothill Ranch.
The nearly 40,000-square-foot Hoag Health Center Foothill Ranch facility will include everything from a tech-infused exercise studio with digital monitoring, healthy food and beverage options, brand-name retail partners, consumer-centric events, personalized healthcare coordinators and community education areas, in addition to more traditional healthcare needs such as an urgent care center.
The spot is intended to become the go-to wellness hub for one of Orange County’s fastest-growing residential communities.
A bevy of tech-focused apps and monitoring systems will roll out at the facility, which will be used as a testing ground for new healthcare concepts that could be expanded to Hoag’s vast health network in the county, which includes a pair of hospitals and the Hoag Orthopedic Institute, as well as 14 urgent care centers and nine health centers, officials said.
“We’re thinking differently” with the new center, Robert Braithwaite, president and chief executive of Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, told the Business Journal last week.
This time, “we’re thinking more about wellness.” The center will address patient care related to sleep, stress, movement, nutrition and relationships, among other issues, said Braithwaite, who runs Hoag’s entire area network.
Visitors are just as likely to see a doctor observing, participating in or even teaching a yoga class or cooking seminar at the facility, as they are to see them in a traditional office, under the vision for the project.
“It’s not a doctor’s office. It’s a community asset,” said Braithwaite.
The hub will offer shakes, drinks and juices all aimed at wellness, as well as products for sale from local and national brands.
The location will open in late January at the Foothill Ranch Towne Center; construction of the single-story center is now underway.
Booming Area
A healthcare center is much needed for the immediate area, which is seeing a rising population due to nearby developments like Baker Ranch, Ironridge and the Great Park Neighborhoods, Hoag officials said.
Only 10 or so dedicated doctors based in the area serve the immediate region’s 100,000-person population, noted Marcy Brown, senior vice president of Hoag Hospital Irvine and Ambulatory Services.
About 15 physicians, including six OB-GYNs will be employed at Hoag Health Center Foothill Ranch, which is expected to get 100 or so patient visits per day.
To view the original Orange County Business Journal article, please click here.