French Hospital Medical Center Foundation Reaches $50 Million Fundraising Milestone

The Foundation has raised more than $50 million since 2005 to support French Hospital

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA – February 8, 2021 – French Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) Foundation is pleased to announce that it has reached a major milestone by raising more than $50 million to support FHMC since it was founded fifteen years ago. The Foundation was established after FHMC joined Dignity Health (formerly Catholic Healthcare West) and it became a not-for-profit hospital. 

“Our community has been incredibly generous and supportive of French Hospital,” says Erik Justesen, Foundation Board Chairman. “With donor support, French Hospital has emerged as a nationally recognized hospital able to provide local patients with truly exceptional and compassionate care.”

The FHMC Foundation raises funds to support the hospital by working with a diverse group of donors who support the hospital through annual donations, grants, planned and estate gifts, events and more. Donations, both large and small, enable the Foundation to provide cutting-edge technology, build and support health education and community outreach programs, support those who cannot afford health care, provide vital patient programs at no charge, and support improvements in patient care quality and safety. 

During the past year, the Foundation shifted focus during the coronavirus pandemic, establishing the Emergency Support Fund in March 2020. Since then, more than $360,000 has been raised to help with the extraordinary costs incurred by the hospital due to the pandemic, as well as to support the health and well-being of the hospital frontline caregivers.

Since 2005, major projects funded by donor support include the Copeland, Forbes & Rossi Cardiac Care Center, Hearst Cancer Resource Center, Women’s Health and Imaging Center, George Hoag Family Advanced Hybrid Surgical Suite, Stollmeyer Family Birthing Center, Copeland Health Education Pavilion and the Oppenheimer Family Center for Emergency Medicine.

Today, the Foundation is currently supporting FHMC’s Beyond Health movement, bringing Your New French Hospital to the Central Coast.  

The project includes a new four-story, 85,000 square-foot Patient Care Tower, single-patient rooms designed to increase privacy, comfort and infection control,  new Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with private rooms, an expansion of ICU critical care beds, new lobby and Welcome Center, advanced technology and services, holistic grounds, greenspaces and more. The current global pandemic has made the need for single patient rooms, a highlight of this project, more critical than ever.

“Beyond Health will offer patients a transformational care experience, bringing new capabilities to the hospital, attracting new talent and anchoring the hospital campus as a core community place for healing and wellness,” says Alan Iftiniuk, FHMC President and CEO. “The pandemic has most certainly accelerated the urgent need for this project.”

The Foundation is currently raising $30 million to support this critical $130 million project, and has raised nearly half of its goal. Your New French Hospital expects to break ground in 2021 with the estimated project completion in 2024.

The Foundation expresses its sincere gratitude to all who have contributed and continue to support FHMC. To learn more about the FHMC Foundation or to donate to the Beyond Health campaign, visit www.supportfrenchhospital.org or contact the Foundation at (805) 542-6496.

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About French Hospital Medical Center
French Hospital Medical Center, located in San Luis Obispo, California, is rated one of the Top 100 Hospitals in the nation and one of the Top 50 Cardiac Hospitals in the nation by Thomson Reuters. The Copeland, Forbes, and Rossi Cardiac Care Center provide the latest innovative cardiac and imaging technology on the Central Coast. The hospital’s current modernization and redesign project is an example of the commitment to meet the growing needs of the community with lifesaving advancements in medicine coupled with excellent, compassionate care. The hospital is home to the unique Hearst Cancer Resource Center offering free education, resources and support to cancer patients and their families. French is a member of Dignity Health Central Coast, an integrated network of top quality hospitals, physicians from the most prestigious medical schools, and comprehensive outpatient services including primary care offices, premier ambulatory surgery centers, technologically-advanced laboratories and imaging centers and a full service home health agency; all recognized for quality, safety and service. Each hospital is supported by an active philanthropic Foundation to help meet the growing health care needs of our communities.