The Orange County, California-based Hoag Hospital has announced a $50 million gift from Newport Beach philanthropist Richard H. Pickup to create a center dedicated to brain health and healthy aging.
Awarded to the Hoag Hospital Foundation, the multiyear gift will establish the Richard H. Pickup Center for Brain Health, which will provide a whole-family approach to addressing the prevention, early detection, and care for cognitive impairment and mental health disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. According to Hoag Hospital, demand for age-related health care is outpacing the supply nationwide, and in Orange County, Alzheimer’s is expected to more than double by 2040. The center will address the ways in which these disorders have potential to impact overall physical health, erode quality of life, and greatly increase healthcare costs for patients and their families. Plans are being developed for a dedicated space on the lower campus of Hoag Newport Beach to house the center, and the gift includes support for attracting national experts and creating endowed chairs.
“Hoag is making great strides in the understanding of brain health and Alzheimer’s disease. They are on the cutting edge, but there is still so much that is unknown about the brain,” said Pickup.