UCI Health acquires four community hospitals

April 15, 2024

UCI Health, the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine, has completed the acquisition of four hospitals and associated outpatient locations from Tenet Healthcare Corporation. Beginning today, the team members at Fountain Valley Regional Hospital, Lakewood Regional Medical Center, Los Alamitos Medical Center and Placentia-Linda Hospital are now part of UCI Health.
“This is a historic day for UC Irvine, California and beyond. We celebrate the transformation of UCI Health as a leader in the integration of academic and community-based health systems while promoting solutions to challenges facing healthcare,” said UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman. “This visionary leap forward will bridge gaps in regional care and advance the University of California’s mission to serve our communities through academic excellence, cutting-edge research and dedicated public service.”
As Orange County’s only academic health system, UCI Health plays a unique and critical role providing healthcare in the region. This acquisition builds on that commitment to improve health in communities by expanding unrestricted healthcare access for more people in Southern California.
“The people of Southern California and the patients across these local communities have something truly remarkable to celebrate today,” said Chad T. Lefteris, president and chief executive officer of UCI Health. “UCI Health has built a legacy as a nationally regarded academic health system that is fiercely dedicated to improving the health of our communities. We are investing in building a healthier future for people that harnesses the power of advanced medicine with the convenience of care available close to home.”
Lefteris said UCI Health recognizes a unique opportunity to build on the quality care already being delivered in the communities served by these hospitals. Patients of the former Tenet hospitals and outpatient offices can continue receiving care at their local facilities as they normally would from their trusted physicians and care teams.
“Our goal is to become the nation’s friendliest and most accessible academic health system,” he said.
The acquisition adds 858 inpatient beds that, when paired with the 459 licensed beds at UCI Medical Center in Orange, strengthens UC Irvine’s ability to meet the continually increasing demand for inpatient beds for a range of intensive and critical care needs.

“UCI Health is backed by the power of a world-class public research institution, reflected in the academic excellence of the Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences,” said Steve A.N. Goldstein, MD, PhD, FAAP, Vice Chancellor of Health Affairs, UC Irvine. “This combination of top tier research, education of the next generation of providers, and commitment to the public health is advancing healthcare solutions and innovations in Southern California and beyond. Together, with providers in the new hospitals, UCI Health is building bridges for collaboration between academic and community-based healthcare and offering more people across California access to the highest caliber of healthcare.”
More patients will have access to advanced therapies in the region’s largest and most diverse portfolio of clinical trials, ranging from cancer to neurosciences, digestive diseases, orthopaedics and internal medicine specialties. UCI Health has consistently placed in the top 10 for quality and safety among the nation’s leading comprehensive academic health systems and received the top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Award from the Clinical Research Forum.

“We deeply appreciate the enthusiasm and support we have received since announcing this new chapter for healthcare in our region,” said Lefteris. “Now, we can begin strengthening the collaboration with local physicians and patients to expand healthcare services and provide unrestricted access for more people. Together, we will be an innovative, powerful team that will transform to meet the health needs of our communities.

Orange County Music & Dance to expand campus

April 15, 2024 The City of Irvine has reached a milestone agreement with Orange County Music & Dance (OCMD), a non-profit community music and dance school in Irvine, that sets the stage for the organization to develop a state-of-the-art new home for its arts education and performance programs. The campus will expand from 21,000 square feet to 70,000 square feet, with greatly increased private teaching studios, classrooms, practice rooms, rehearsal and performance spaces with professionally designed acoustics, state-of-the-art technology and recording capacity. An expansive 450-seat theater will be shared with local community groups and ensembles. OCMD’s student body will more than double to over 500 per week and its rehearsal and performance spaces will serve tens of thousands more and be available for other performing arts organizations. “We are thrilled to reach this moment, which feels like the exciting seconds right before an orchestra begins a symphony and fills the concert hall with waves of music,” said Douglas Freeman, Executive Chair and CEO of Orange County Music & Dance. “Everything we do is to nurture, inspire and empower and with this expansion we will be able to serve not just Irvine and Orange County, but all Southern California. We thank the City for its investment in our children and the arts by approving the development of our new campus.” The approval came during the City’s March 26 meeting of the Great Park Board, which is made up of the Irvine City Council. The agreement lays out clear responsibilities for both OCMD and the City, including the development of site plans and permitting. Once those conditions are met, the City will then provide OCMD with a $1 per year ground lease for its site. The lease for land at Great Park’s Cultural Terrace will cover 50 years, with optional extensions totaling 75 years. The lease along with $91 million the City has invested in preparing the land and bringing in utilities signifies one of the largest gifts from a municipality in the U.S. Founded in 2017, OCMD offers education, training and performance opportunities for K-12 students and veterans, with an endowed scholarship program that ensures that children who want to attend can do so, regardless of their financial circumstances. OCMD is part of The Collaborative, a partnership among three nonprofits: OCMD, Pretend City Children’s Museum and the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum. Freeman helped bring the organizations together to create a pioneering project on a unified campus that maximizes sustainable building and landscapes, the trio will begin welcoming visitors in the summer of 2026. “Creativity is an essential part in all of us, nurturing our souls and helping us connect deeply with others,” Freeman added. “At Orange County Music & Dance we focus on inspiring our students and building a lifelong love of the arts. Expanding our facilities will enable all three of our organizations to extend the reach of our programs and increase our services to children and families who historically have not had equitable access to arts, cultural and educational programs.” At 1,300 acres, the Great Park will be one of the biggest municipal parks in the U.S. The Cultural Terrace is located on 35 acres adjacent to Great Park’s Sports Complex. Once completed, it will include 200,000 square feet of museum, educational and performing arts facilities. “The addition of two well-respected organizations at the Great Park will help continue the City’s commitment to fostering youth development and providing top-tier educational programs,” said City of Irvine Mayor Farrah N. Khan. “Further, these nonprofits will contribute to the City’s economic development and ensure the Great Park truly is a park for all.” Located near freeways as well as trains and public transit, the new homes for The Collaborative will meet the educational and developmental needs of families from across Southern California and serve several hundred thousand people annually through an unparalleled mix of engaging child development programs, exciting historical exhibits, inspirational performing arts training and career training. According to an economic study of the project by AECOM, cultural and artistic developments such as The Collaborative contribute to local economies in myriad ways, both directly through job creation and ongoing economic activity and as important amenities that enhance an area’s competitiveness. Construction is scheduled to begin in January 2025 and is expected to be completed in fall 2026.