$100 Million Gift Jumpstarts Campaign For New Hospitals, Research Center at Loma Linda University Health by 2020

$100 million gift from Dennis and Carol Troesh jumpstarts campaign to open new hospitals, research center at Loma Linda University Health by 2020
By: Herbert Atienza

 
Amidst a celebration joined in by more than 2,000 people, officials of Loma Linda University Health announced on Tuesday (July 15) a gift commitment of $100 million from Dennis and Carol Troesh that will kick start a $1.2 billion strategy to transform health care for millions of families throughout the Inland Empire and beyond, and set a new course for education at Loma Linda University Health.

 

The pledge from Dennis and Carol Troesh, long-time Riverside, Calif., residents and business leaders, brings the total raised so far for Vision 2020 to $149 million.

 

Officials of Loma Linda University Health revealed details of Vision 2020, including the gift, believed to be the largest single-gift commitment to health care in the history of the Inland Empire, providing the cornerstone for the transformation of Loma Linda University Health.

 

By 2020, the following projects are expected to be completed:

 

A new, 100-bed Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital tower, connected via glass walkway with the existing Children’s Hospital, boosting to 359 the total number of licensed beds, including expansion of the Loma Linda University Health Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs), already one of the largest in the country.
A new, 276-bed Adult Medical Center, including 96 intensive care beds and 180 medical-surgical beds.
A new, $60 million Loma Linda University Health Center for Discovery, a unique interdisciplinary hub for research and the Wholeness Institute to improve health outcomes for people in the Inland Empire and beyond.
 

”The world is asking what Loma Linda University Health and our people have to offer. Now is the time to be bold, to look toward what can be, and be daring, so it is with profound excitement that I have the privilege of revealing Vision 2020, a dream of a healthier, more whole world that has been in our hearts and minds for the past few years,” said Dr. Richard Hart, president of Loma Linda University Health.

 

Carol Troesh said the gift to Loma Linda University Health reflects her family’s support for the institution’s commitment to creating a health and education hub that will benefit people worldwide.

 

“Over the years, God has abundantly blessed our family, and it is our privilege and honor to give back to the community we have called home for most of our lives,” she said.

 

In the 1970s, Dennis Troesh founded Robertson’s Ready Mix, growing the company into one of the largest ready-mix and construction aggregate operations in the western United States. Writing under the name of C.A. Hartnell, Carol Troesh has authored four historical fiction books for children. In 2013, she received the Mom’s Choice Silver Award for excellence in family friendly media produtcs and services. Both are active members and supporters of Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital Foundation Board.

 

The expansion plans will significantly boost Loma Linda University Medical Center’s total licensed beds from the current 1,076 beds in the six hospitals that make up the hospital system. The plans will also help assure that all inpatient beds at the hospital meet state-mandated seismic and safety standards for 2020.

 

In addition to developing the Center for Discovery, the campaign will also make a major investment on education and research, including funding for more laboratories, programs, scientific research discoveries, scholarships, and faculty development.

 

Apart from philanthropic gifts, such as the $100 million from Dennis and Carol Troesh, funding for Vision 2020 projects will come from federal, state, and local funds; fund raising efforts; and loans.

 

Vision 2020 is the largest initiative in the history of Loma Linda University Health, and represents the largest investment in health care in the region. The initiative builds on the institution’s core strengths of pursuing new discoveries, developing strategies for a healthier world, and building on foundations of education, research, clinical care, wholeness, and service.

 

“Vision 2020 is a campaign for a whole tomorrow, it is a catalyst that will bring together a vision for the future for the health of our community,” said Rachelle Bussell, senior vice president of advancement at Loma Linda University Health.

 

For over 100 years, Loma Linda University Health has played a leading and influential role in health care and education, graduating more than 45,000 health care professionals.

 

At present, more than 16,000 alumni are living and working in Southern California, two-thirds of whom are based in the Inland Empire. Loma Linda University Health has graduated more than 10,500 physicians, and, at present, half of the practicing medical doctors in San Bernardino County received their education or training at Loma Linda University Heath. A total of nearly 7,000 dental health professionals received their education at Loma Linda University Health.

 

Vision 2020 opens a new chapter in Loma Linda University Health’s history, allowing it to reach even greater achievements and heights in the future.