City of Hope bringing cancer specialty hospital to Orange County

IRVINE, Calif. (KABC) -- Doctors and administrators at City of Hope Orange County said there is a great need for increased cancer research and access to medical treatment of the disease in O.C., and they planned to help meet that demand with the grand opening of the cancer specialty hospital, scheduled for later this year.

One of the guests during a tour of the hospital under construction Friday was Jeff Fitzhugh, who is living with bone marrow cancer.

"I had one bad day in my life and that was the day I was diagnosed and from then on I said, 'I will never have another bad day,"' Fitzhugh said, growing emotional.

Fitzhugh teared up about what was ahead for others like him at City of Hope Orange County.

"To have this in our backyard and with the beauty of it, having the view that we currently have here, the room the way it is-it was nothing like I had before," Fitzhugh said.

Over the last five years, much of Fitzhugh's journey living with incurable bone marrow cancer included trips to the nonprofit's campus in Duarte - he's not alone.

Dr. Edward Kim, the physician-in-chief of City of Hope OC, said they hoped to meet a need with this location.

"Orange County is one of the largest counties in the country, and what we noticed when we were looking at the statistics is that about 20% of the diagnosed population of cancer in Orange County was leaving the county for care," Dr. Kim said.

The cancer specialty hospital, scheduled to open by the end of 2025, is reminiscent of a luxury hotel.

A tour of the six-story building reveals the setting for 73 beds, each with scenic views of O.C. Plus, there will be art and natural light in the hallways arranged around the principles of Feng Shui.

Dr. Kim pointed out the design skipped numbering the fourth floor because they were aware of the large Asian population in the surrounding area, and in many Asian cultures, the number four symbolizes death.

Dr. Josh Cohen, a gynecologic oncologist, showed one of the large operating rooms in the building, saying they would allow for large surgical teams, evolving technology and teleconferences, mid-procedure.

"I get them on the screen I say, 'Doctor, this is what I have. This is the tumor.' They then look at it under the microscope where they are. They call back. We have a visual discussion," Dr. Cohen described.

City of Hope O.C. President Annette Walker said two-patient family suites would bring the support of loved ones as close as possible.

"They and their families might be here for days or weeks, so if you're in that, are you in a place that allows you to heal well? Because environments really matter," Walker said.

"To see where City of Hope has come and what they're offering other patients that are gonna be following me - amazing. That's why I get emotional, is because people that are gonna be diagnosed after me - they get to start here," Fitzhugh said.

The 164,000-square-foot hospital was part of a $1.5 billion academic cancer campus. The comprehensive cancer center opened in August 2022.