Local Hospital Launches Public Campaign of Giving

LOMA LINDA >> At the May 22 groundbreaking event for the new Adult Hospital and Children’s Hospital towers, Loma Linda University Health publicly launched Vision 2020: The Campaign for a WHOLE Tomorrow, asking the community to “Build Hope” by joining together to help build their new Adult and Children’s Hospital towers. Through this campaign, Loma Linda University Health is appealing to the community to give online or get involved through various opportunities available. It is the first time in the history of the organization that the public was asked directly to support local children. Junior philanthropist Ulysses Hsu was prominently featured during the groundbreaking celebration. Hsu asked friends to make a donation to the hospital instead of bringing him gifts and was featured both on stage and in a video during the program. Hsu told the crowd of more than 3,000 community members, elected officials, and Loma Linda University health administrators, staff, faculty, and students that he was inspired to give to the Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital after his friend was told he had cancer. He informed the audience that 1) "Life is more important than gifts 2) life lasts longer than gifts and toys, and 3) he wanted to bring happiness to life and those children.” Hsu also participated in the shovel line-up to break ground on the new facilities. The new giving campaign ads on billboards, radio, television, and magazines will feature real Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital patients, both current and past, and is making a direct plea for the community to “Give Now. Build Hope.” and visit the campaign site GiveVision2020.org. There are may ways to get involved ranging from donating your celebration, to honoring a caregiver, creating your own fundraising page, making a monthly gift to help Build Hope for our community, and more. Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital is the sole children’s hospital for almost 1.2 million of California’s youth in (San Bernardino, Riverside, Inyo and Mono counties). There will be 343 beds just for mothers and children. Each year, over 13,000 children stay at the hospital and over 75,000 children visit the hospital for ambulatory care. The adult hospital is the only Level 1 Trauma medical facility in this same four-county region, providing quality health care to 40,000 inpatients and 1.5 million outpatients each year. “Vision 2020: The Campaign for a WHOLE Tomorrow is a historic vision for the future of Loma Linda University Health," said Richard Hart, MD, DrPH and president of Loma Linda University Health. "We have been blessed with the continued support of our community and friends as we work to provide the best healthcare services possible." The new Adult and Children’s Hospital towers are a part of a larger campus transformation project with an estimated cost of $1.4 billion. Beyond the Vision 2020 philanthropic campaign, additional funding for health care will come from state grants, bond financing, and cash flow from operations.