Couple donates to Hoag

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian has received a $1 million gift earmarked for the expansion and renovation of its emergency department, the hospital announced Tuesday.

Newport Beach residents Walter and Mary Frome extended the gift both to support the hospital and challenge other donors to supplement the project.

“There are so many wonderful things going on at Hoag — the research, the care. Everything that goes on at that hospital is wonderful,” Mary said.

“With the growth of Orange County and how far in miles people will travel to go through Hoag, we thought it would be a perfect place to put our money.”

Frome added that the couple was very impressed with the doctor who will manage the new facility and felt comfortable that it was money well-spent.

The project, which calls for a reengineered layout and 6,000-square-foot addition, will serve local residents and emergency needs that are projected to increase in the next decade.

New amenities include 51 private rooms and space for an additional six beds, which hospital officials said would make the hospital the largest and most accommodating in the county.

Construction is scheduled to finish in 2011.

The Walter and Mary Frome Family Foundation, based in Newport Beach, has donated other gifts to the Orange County Performing Arts Center, the Children’s Hospital of Orange County and South Orange County School of the Arts.

CHRIS CAESAR may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or at [email protected].