To much applause and aplomb, MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center broke ground last week for a new womens health facility a stones throw from the Laguna Woods Gate 2.
The 40,000-square-foot Womens Health Pavilion is under construction at the Laguna Hills medical center and is expected to be completed in 2023.
Our vision for the Womens Health Pavilion is to provide a truly innovative and holistic approach to womens health care, said Marcia Manker, CEO of MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center. With the groundbreaking, this vision is coming to fruition and celebrates the lives and well-being of women of every age and from all walks of life.
The new facility will not only provide medical care to treat a condition or disease; it will provide care for the entire woman, including overall wellness and mental health, from birth to adulthood, Manker said.
At the groundbreaking for MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Centers new Womens Health Pavilion in Laguna Hills are, from left, Sarah Nederlander, Taylor Nederlander, Christy Ward, Assemblywoman Laurie Davies, Marcia Manker, Dr. Gary Levine, Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, Catherine Han, Heather Chu and Catherine Shitara.(Photo by Daniella Walsh)
MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Centers new Womens Health Pavilion will feature an airy lobby, adding to a comfortable environment, hospital officials say.(Courtesy of MemorialCare)
A rendering shows a treatment room in the Womens Health Pavilion under construction at the MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills.(Courtesy of MemorialCare)
Sisters Taylor and Sarah Nederlander donated $2.5 million for the new Womens Health Pavilion in Laguna Hills through the Harry J. Nederlander Foundation.(Photo by Daniella Walsh)
Marcia Manker, MemorialCare Saddleback CEO(Courtesy of MemorialCare)
Dr. Gary Levine, director of MemorialCare breast centers.(Sally Aristei Photographs)
Heather Chu of Irvine is a cancer survivor who was treated at the MemorialCare Breast Center.(Photo by Daniella Walsh)
A rendering shows MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Centers new Womens Health Pavilion planned at the Laguna Hills medical center. It is expected to be completed in 2023. (Courtesy of MemorialCare)
The pavilion will house the already established MemorialCare Breast Center, which will be reconfigured into Orange Countys first comprehensive breast care center, with breast oncologists, reconstructive surgeons and state-of-the-art technology, all on the first floor of the new three-story building.
The facility will also provide maternity services in conjunction with Saddleback Womens Hospital, as well as medical personnel dedicated to sexual health and mental health. Cardiovascular health services are in the planning stages.
For older patients, the pavilion will have an osteoporosis clinic and a pelvic floor rehabilitation clinic staffed by specialized physical therapists. Pelvic floor issues affect more than 40% of women ages 60 to 79 and 50% of women 80 or older, Manker said.
With services all under one roof, women will have shorter wait times, officials said, even same-day appointments and expedited screening results to facilitate early detection and treatment plans for breast cancer. In addition, the center will have a retail shop focused on the needs of cancer patients, with wigs and other items to help them achieve a sense of their pre-cancer selves.
(Altogether, MemorialCare has nine breast care centers between Long Beach and Rancho Mission Viejo, all under the medical direction of Dr. Gary Levine, a breast cancer specialist with more than 25 years of experience, who has been involved in the planning of the new center for the past seven years.)
The new facility is focused on the future and the growing number of older women, Levine said.
By 2040, more than 20% of the population is projected to be over age 65, and the majority of older people are women, he said. Preventive care is paramount and should include activities for daily living, weight-bearing exercise as well as social engagement. The recent proliferation of retirement communities where older women can stay engaged and active leads to better health and longer life.
Also planned is a community education center that will include hosting of support groups, nutritional counseling and wellness classes such as yoga and Pilates for women of all ages. A verdant garden to soothe the senses is also in the masterplan.
Joining Manker at the groundbreaking Sept. 20 were Levine; Assembly Member Laurie Davies; Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett; Christy Ward, president of the Saddleback Medical Center Foundation; and Dr. Catherine Han, foundation board chair, along with young philanthropists Taylor and Sarah Nederlander and cancer survivor Heather Chu.
Chu, 42, an Irvine resident, spoke about her experience at the MemorialCare Breast Center when she received a diagnosis of DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) breast cancer in January 2021. She ultimately had a double-mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.
It is difficult to talk about my experience in public, but I want to share to empower other women, Chu said. Cancer patients are faced with who to ask, where to go. It stood out to me how kind, knowledgeable and compassionate all the personnel were here.
Her treatment included genetic counseling and physical therapy, with Levine overseeing radiology and ultrasounds. She was later diagnosed with uterine cancer and had a hysterectomy.
MemorialCare helped me navigate that journey. Every single person I met was warm and welcoming, Chu recalled, quoting her nurse navigator as saying: Youre going to be OK; you got this; we are going to be here for you. I am going to hold you and not let you go and I will help you through this.
Chu added: There is a huge need for such a facility. As a wife and mother, mine was a terrifying experience. I love my cancer-free body. Cancer took my body but not my sense of self.
The new building was designed by c/a Architects, a Long Beach firm specializing in health care facilities.
Construction costs, along with the land, are around $80 million, Manker said.
Philanthropic contributions, including $2.5 million from sisters Sarah and Taylor Nederlander of the Harry J. Nederlander Foundation, help finance the project. Hence, the pavilions breast center will be named the Sarah & Taylor Nederlander Breast Center. Granddaughters of theater mogul Harry J. Nederlander and stepdaughters of Levine, the sisters said their family has been affected by breast cancer.
Our grandfather wanted to give us the opportunity to make a difference in the world. With our gift, we hope to make sure that more women in our local community have more access to advanced screening, treatment and care, they said.
Manker calls the proximity of the center to the Village a natural since, in 1969, the Golden Rain Foundation contributed the first $100 toward the future Saddleback Community Hospital (now MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center) and 9 acres of land, sold for $1. The hospital opened in 1974.
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Work starts on Womens Health Pavilion in Laguna Hills - OCRegister
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