Hoag and St. Joseph Officially Join Forces

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian and St. Joseph Health System announced Thursday the completion of a health care affiliation designed to improve the delivery, accessibility and affordability of health care.

The two medical powerhouses are now a part of the Covenant Health Network which will serve patients from Orange County to the High Desert, officials said in a released statement. The network will include the seven flagship hospitals of Hoag and St. Joseph, an expansive physician network and numerous outpatient and urgent care facilities.

Dr. Richard Afable, Hoag's president and CEO, will lead the new network which received a stamp of approval from the California attorney general's office on Feb. 8.

"Our number one focus will be solving the systemic health care access and affordability issues currently facing patients, employers and health care providers – and that effort begins today,” Afable said.

The affiliation will strive to make health care more efficient and improve the overall patient experience, develop programs that will address care for the poor and underserved communities, focus on care extending beyond the acute hospital setting, including wellness and prevention programs and more.

"This is a critical step for the future of our communities that can only be
accomplished by the brightest minds and the biggest hearts in health care,” said Deborah Proctor, president and CEO of St. Joseph Health.

Hoag and St. Joseph Health will keep their individual faith affiliations, Presbyterian and Catholic, respectively.

The network will include Hoag's Newport Beach hospital and campus in Irvine, as well as St. Joseph Health’s facilities of St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Fullerton’s St. Jude Medical Center, Mission Hospital with campuses in Mission Viejo and Laguna Beach and St. Mary Medical Center in Apple Valley.

Robert Braithwaite, Hoag's chief operating officer, is set to take over Afable's CEO position at Hoag on Friday.