UCI Health celebrates 50 years
Academic health system has transformed from a single hospital to one of the state’s largest
- The University of California Regents purchased Orange County Medical Center, now known as UCI Health –– Orange, for $5.5 million in 1976
- Has trained more than 30,000 physicians and health professionals as the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine
- UCI Health is a six-hospital health system, which will become seven in July when UCI Health — Irvine Rehabilitation Hospital opens its doors
Orange, Calif. — In 2026, UCI Health proudly celebrates 50 years of caring for the community, bringing discoveries, treatments and research that saves lives and improves health. An unwavering commitment to its mission — Discover. Teach. Heal. — has spurred its transformation from a single hospital into one of California’s largest academic health systems.
It all began in 1976 when the University of California Regents purchased Orange County Medical Center for $5.5 million and renamed it UCI Medical Center, now known as UCI Health — Orange.
“For 50 years, UCI Health has been driven by a commitment to improve lives through discovery, teaching and compassionate care. What began as a single hospital has grown into one of California’s largest academic health systems, serving millions of people across our region,” said Chad T. Lefteris, president and CEO of UCI Health.
“As we celebrate this milestone, we’re proud of what generations of physicians, nurses, researchers, educators and co-workers have built together, and we’re even more excited about what lies ahead.”
The Irvine location of the UCI Health Chao Family
Comprehensive Cancer Center, which opened in 2024.
Home to nationally regarded programs
After its founding, UCI Health –– Orange built a number of nationally regarded programs that broke new ground in the local healthcare community, including:
- The county’s first and only level I adult and level II pediatric trauma center
- The only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center based in the county
- The county’s only American Burn Association-verified Regional Burn Center
- The county’s first comprehensive stroke center
- The oldest Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in the county, located in Anaheim
It is also part of a select group of hospitals that have received Magnet Recognition for nursing excellence five times. It’s one of the safest hospitals in Orange County, having received a Leapfrog ‘A’ grade.
Advancing complex care
As the clinical arm of the UC Irvine School of Medicine, UCI Health has established leading clinical programs over the last 50 years that have brought much-needed access to advanced care, research and clinical trials in critical areas to treat the most complex conditions and solve some of medicine’s most pressing issues.
The Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chao Digestive Health Institute, the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, along with programs in cardiology and neurosciences, are advancing patient care that and ensures overall well-being.
UCI Health President and CEO Chad T. Lefteris at a
celebration of the new UCI Health Community Network,
established in 2024.
Growing system built to last
As a forever organization, UCI Health is preparing for the future to ensure that the community will have access to high-quality, safe care for generations to come.
That means ensuring sustainability in its operations, including reducing emissions, generating clean power, choosing safe materials for furnishings and reducing waste. It opened the nation’s first all-electric acute care hospital in December 2025. The health system has been repeatedly recognized for its environmental commitment by healthcare sustainability organization Practice Greenhealth, including its prestigious Emerald Award.
Fifty years after its inception, UCI Health is now a six-hospital health system that will soon be seven when the UCI Health — Irvine Rehabilitation Hospital opens its doors in July. They include:
- UCI Health — Irvine
- UCI Health — Fountain Valley
- UCI Health — Lakewood
- UCI Health — Los Alamitos
- UCI Health — Placentia Linda
It has more than 14,000 co-workers and its service area spans two counties and a region of 5.6 million people.
The growing ambulatory system is one of the nation’s best, according to the Vizient Inc. Quality and Accountability Study.
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.