French Hospital Medical Center Celebrates 75 Years of Serving the Community at Cal Poly Baseball Game

Cal Poly and Dignity Health recognize longstanding relationship and local impacts on health and education

SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA – May 17, 2021 – This year, French Hospital Medical Center celebrates 75 years of serving the community of San Luis Obispo, and the significant milestone was celebrated with dignitaries at the Dignity Health Baseball Clubhouse at Baggett Stadium.

To celebrate the event, Cal Poly President Jeff Armstrong and Cal Poly Athletic Director Don Oberhelman welcomed Dignity Health representatives, including: Lloyd Dean, Chief Executive Officer, CommonSpirit Health, Julie Sprengel, President, Dignity Health Southern California Division, French Hospital Medical Center President and CEO, Alan Iftiniuk, Dr. Michael Clayton, Chair of the French Hospital Community Board, and Erik Justesen, Chair of the French Hospital Foundation Board.

Prior to the Cal Poly versus Cal State Fullerton baseball game, the crowd enjoyed introductions to Dignity Health representatives, a video overview of French Hospital’s 75 years, and Justesen threw out the first pitch.

“We are especially proud and excited to be celebrating this milestone for French Hospital, after having come out of one of the most difficult years for health care,” says French Hospital Medical Center President and CEO, Alan Iftiniuk. “What better way to celebrate than with our local partner Cal Poly, as we both have a rich history of serving our local communities.”

Dignity Health, who has the naming rights to the baseball clubhouse, is a major sponsor of Cal Poly – from athletics to research projects – and the hospital and college share a longstanding partnership.

The $9.4 million clubhouse project covering 10,679 square feet over two floors includes the Jim Newkirk Pavilion (a multi-purpose room for players and donors which includes a kitchen, meeting and study space and a balcony for outdoor viewing of games), Maas Family Locker Room, Krukow Athletes Lounge and Kitchen, Burns Family Foundation Sports Medicine Room, Rumsey Athletes Lobby and Mudroom, showers, and an academic center. 

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About French Hospital Medical Center
French Hospital Medical Center is a state-of-the-art, 112-bed acute care hospital located in San Luis Obispo, California, and is ranked among the Top 10% in the Nation for Patient Safety by Healthgrades. French’s Oppenheimer Family Center for Emergency Medicine is the area’s most advanced emergency services center. The modern facility is home to the Copeland, Forbes, and Rossi Cardiac Care Center, is the county’s premier cardiac center, providing the latest cardiac and imaging technology, and the Hearst Cancer Resource Center offering free education, resources and support to cancer patients and their families. 

French Hospital Medical Center together with Arroyo Grande Community Hospital in Arroyo Grande, CA and Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria, CA make up Dignity Health Central Coast, a network of hospitals, physicians, and outpatient services including physician offices, ambulatory surgery centers, technologically-advanced laboratories and imaging centers, and a full service home health agency.