Irvine, Calif., June 27, 2022 — Supported by a $20 million gift from Joe C. Wen and his family, the UCI Health outpatient clinical facility at the new UCI Health–Irvine complex will bring specialty clinical expertise closer to coastal and south Orange County residents on the UCI campus.
“The Joe C. Wen & Family Center for Advanced Care at UCI Health–Irvine will play a special role in the life of south Orange County because of our unique ability to marshal all the resources of a comprehensive research university in support of delivering the best and most up-to-date care,” said UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman. “We are very grateful for the Wen family’s remarkable gift, which advances our belief that human health and well-being require a science-based approach that engages all disciplines in caring for the whole person and community.”
Approved by the University of California Board of Regents in August 2020, the five-story, 168,000-square-foot outpatient facility on Jamboree Road will offer adult and pediatric specialty care, urgent care, digestive health, neurosciences and comprehensive laboratory and radiology imaging services in one convenient location. An outdoor garden and café will enhance the patient and visitor experience.
“UCI Health transforms lives everyday thanks to its leading-edge academic research, advanced medical facilities, and – most importantly – passionate and top-notch medical professionals,” said Joe C. Wen, founder and chief executive of Sakura Paper, Inc., a division of Formosa Ltd. “There’s no doubt that the new medical center in Irvine will have a tremendously positive impact on the community. My family members and I are honored and humbled to be able to help.”
This is the largest gift to UCI Health by a donor under age 50 and is among the largest-ever gifts to UCI.
Children and adults will benefit from one-stop outpatient healthcare. The Center for Children’s Health will consolidate primary and specialty pediatric services in one easily accessible facility and offer unparalleled continuity of care from birth through early adulthood. The children’s center will provide specialty care with an emphasis on diagnosing and treating chronic conditions.
The building also will be the new home of the Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders, providing hope and help to individuals living with autism spectrum disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
“UCI Health is deeply grateful for the friendship and generosity of the Wen family,” said Steve A.N. Goldstein, M.D., Ph.D., UCI vice chancellor for health affairs. “Their support allows us to expand our delivery of world-class care to more patients in Orange County and to continue to lead the nation through lifesaving research and clinical innovations that fulfill the long-standing UCI commitment to improve the lives of individuals and communities.”
The $1.3 billion UCI Health-Irvine complex adjacent to UCI and the new health sciences campus comprise one of the largest investments in patient care services in California. In addition to the Joe C. Wen & Family Center for Advanced Care, the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ambulatory Care Center is scheduled to open in late 2023, and a 144-bed acute-care hospital with an emergency department will open in 2025.
“UCI Health is building Orange County’s next chapter of healthcare in Irvine,” said UCI Health CEO Chad T. Lefteris. “The Joe C. Wen & Family Center for Advanced Care will provide residents of coastal and southern Orange County access to the comprehensive care in critical clinical specialties that are only available from an academic health system.”
UCI Health continues to expand access to care across new locations, including opening primary and specialty outpatient centers in Irvine, Newport Beach, Laguna Hills and Costa Mesa.
Source: UCI
