UCI Health President and CEO Chad Lefteris receives commemorative key to new Irvine hospital
Marking a milestone for expanded academic healthcare in Orange County.
Team members who were instrumental to the design, construction and completion of the new UCI Health — Irvine hospital celebrate receipt of a commemorative key. L to R: Arash Altoontash (HCAI), Kasie Bowden (Hensel Phelps), Nate Shinagawa, Brian Maximuk (Hensel Phelps), Josephine Jorge-Reyes, Paul DeVeiga, Hoda Assadian, Dr. Alpesh Amin, Anne Marie Watkins, Chad Lefteris.
IN THE NEWS: UCI Health President & CEO Chad T. Lefteris received a commemorative key to the new UCI Health — Irvine hospital on Sept. 19. Slated to open in December, it will be the system's sixth hospital, marking a significant milestone for expanding academic healthcare throughout Orange County.
The Orange County Register spoke with Lefteris, who attended an event celebrating substantial completion of the building alongside other members of the UCI Health executive team.
“This is a historic thing. We are finally returning to Irvine as a health system. We’ve been up in Orange for years – now we’ve returned fully to meet the needs in Irvine and the central and coastal communities.”
He also said the hospital was designed to connect patients with the healing power of nature.
“A lot of design attention was also spent on blurring the lines between inside and out to give our patients a moment to take a breath, look outside and take in the amazing view of the 300-acre San Joaquin Marsh Reserve.”
NBC Channel 4 and Excélsior, the Spanish-language version of the Orange County Register, also shared stories about the landmark event.
Once open, UCI Health ― Irvine will be a full-service, acute care hospital, providing services for a range of specialties, including cancer, cardiology, digestive health, neurology, orthopedics and spine. A 24-hour emergency department with 20 treatment rooms, advanced imaging, laboratory services, pharmacy services and a gift shop are also onsite.
For additional information, visit https://www.ucihealth.org/about-us/uci-health-irvine.
About UCI Health
UCI Health is one of California’s largest academic health systems and the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. Established on July 1, 1976, UCI Health has grown into a 1,461-bed health system that includes UCI Health — Orange, UCI Health — Irvine, four Community Network hospitals and a growing network of ambulatory care centers across Orange and Los Angeles counties. As Orange County’s only academic health systems, UCI Health is home to the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center based in the county, the region’s only American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, American College of Emergency Physicians Gold Level 1 Geriatric Emergency Department and a nationally recognized regional burn center verified by the American Burn Association. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves 5.6 million people across Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County through excellence in patient care, research and medical education. Follow UCI Health on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.