Hoag is joining regional providers that have stepped in to offer more health services in San Clemente since the city’s community hospital closed almost a decade ago.
On Monday, July 14, a new 20,000-square-foot Hoag Health Center will open, giving deep South Orange County residents access to more specialty doctors, state-of-the-art technology and a one-of-a-kind “health lab” offering healthy living solutions from pilates to nutrition.
The facility includes an urgent care, primary care doctors and services for obstetrics, gynecology, orthopedics, radiology and sports medicine.
A community event Saturday, July 12, offered locals an opportunity to tour the facility and learn more about the services offered ahead of Monday’s opening. The center is Hoag’s 13th facility outside the hospital campuses in Newport Beach and Irvine.
The health center will help fill a void in the beach city and surrounding communities, along with other new facilities. MemorialCare Health System is building a walkable senior community with access to healthcare, including an urgent care facility, on the 6-acre property once home to the city’s hospital. Providence Health has also seen the wisdom of putting medical services in San Clemente and opened up a facility near the Shops of San Clemente that includes is a primary care clinic with urgent care.
Hoag President and CEO Robert Braithwaite described the county’s southernmost communities as a “health care desert,” adding that the region can also benefit from more specialized and targeted services in one place.
“There are about a million people south of the El Toro Y (in Lake Forest), there are certain geographic areas that do not have a lot of healthcare close to home and work,” Braithwaite said. “There’s also an opportunity to deliver a different type of health care in all of South Orange County, which fueled the decision to move Hoag services into South Orange County.”
“Most healthcare systems are defined by the sick care they provide,” he added. “So, Hoag made a commitment in 2018 where we really wanted to emphasize and integrate wellness services into the health portfolio. San Clemente is the perfect community; they love being active and are very mindful of their wellness. It’s the perfect place to drop in that integrated healthcare with all the wellness initiatives.”